A reader pointed me towards a Bleeping Computer article which then led me to this advisory from ASUS which basically says this. There’s a list of ASUS routers that ASUS is urging customers to upgrade to the latest firmware ASAP because of a security threat that seems to be out there. The company is recommending the following:
We strongly encourage you to periodically audit both your equipment and your security procedures, as this will ensure that you will be better protected. As a user of an ASUS router, we advise taking the following actions:
- Update your router to the latest firmware. We strongly recommend that you do so as soon as new firmware is released. You will find the latest firmware available for download from the ASUS support page at https://www.asus.com/support/or the appropriate product page at https://www.asus.com/Networking/. ASUS has provided a link to new firmware for selected routers at the end of this notice.
- Set up separate passwords for your wireless network and router-administration page. Use passwords with a length of at least eight characters, including a mix of capital letters, numbers and symbols. Do not use the same password for multiple devices or services.
- Enable ASUS AiProtection, if your router supports this feature. Instructions on how to do this can be found in your router’s manual, or on the relevant ASUS support page, at https://www.asus.com/Networking/.
Please note, if you choose not to install this new firmware version, we strongly recommend disabling services accessible from the WAN side to avoid potential unwanted intrusions. These services include remote access from WAN, port forwarding, DDNS, VPN server, DMZ, port trigger.
The advisory also lists the following routers as being affected by whatever threat is out there:
- GT6
- GT-AXE16000
- GT-AX11000 PRO
- GT-AX6000
- GT-AX11000
- GS-AX5400
- GS-AX3000
- XT9
- XT8
- XT8 Version 2
- RT-AX86U PRO
- RT-AX86U
- RT-AX86S
- RT-AX82U
- RT-AX58U
- RT-AX3000
- TUF-AX6000
- TUF-AX5400
Now what strikes me as interesting is that a cursory look at the affected routers shows that a fair number of them have had firmware updates in the last few days. While others have not. Take the XT8 that I own for example. The last firmware update was in May which I wrote about my experiences with that. Others like the RT-AX86U PRO has have firmware updates in the last day or two. That might imply that all of these routers are about to get firmware updates shortly. But I am not 100% sure about that. It might be worth your while to keep an eye on the firmware page for your ASUS router to see if there’s an update for your router. As for if you should update to this new firmware, I would do so as there’s a clear benefit to doing so which is is security. But I would do it with caution and be prepared to roll back to an earlier firmware version as ASUS firmware can either be fine or buggy and there seems to be no middle ground in terms of that.
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This entry was posted on June 23, 2023 at 11:31 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Asus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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ASUS Issues Warning To Some Router Owners To Upgrade The Firmware Of Said Routers To The Latest Version
A reader pointed me towards a Bleeping Computer article which then led me to this advisory from ASUS which basically says this. There’s a list of ASUS routers that ASUS is urging customers to upgrade to the latest firmware ASAP because of a security threat that seems to be out there. The company is recommending the following:
We strongly encourage you to periodically audit both your equipment and your security procedures, as this will ensure that you will be better protected. As a user of an ASUS router, we advise taking the following actions:
Please note, if you choose not to install this new firmware version, we strongly recommend disabling services accessible from the WAN side to avoid potential unwanted intrusions. These services include remote access from WAN, port forwarding, DDNS, VPN server, DMZ, port trigger.
The advisory also lists the following routers as being affected by whatever threat is out there:
Now what strikes me as interesting is that a cursory look at the affected routers shows that a fair number of them have had firmware updates in the last few days. While others have not. Take the XT8 that I own for example. The last firmware update was in May which I wrote about my experiences with that. Others like the RT-AX86U PRO has have firmware updates in the last day or two. That might imply that all of these routers are about to get firmware updates shortly. But I am not 100% sure about that. It might be worth your while to keep an eye on the firmware page for your ASUS router to see if there’s an update for your router. As for if you should update to this new firmware, I would do so as there’s a clear benefit to doing so which is is security. But I would do it with caution and be prepared to roll back to an earlier firmware version as ASUS firmware can either be fine or buggy and there seems to be no middle ground in terms of that.
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This entry was posted on June 23, 2023 at 11:31 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Asus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.