dbcve.org
Rt Ac86u FirmwareOperating system · Asus

CVE-2022-25596

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
ASUS RT-AC56U’s configuration function has a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability due to insufficient validation for the decryption parameter length, which allows an unauthenticated LAN attacker to execute arbitrary code, perform arbitrary operations and disrupt service.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

ASUS RT-AC56U routers contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in a configuration function. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of the decryption parameter length, allowing an unauthenticated LAN attacker to overflow a heap buffer and achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor firmware update from ASUS. Until patched, restrict LAN access to trusted devices and consider network segmentation to limit exposure.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Rt Ac86u FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 3.0.0.4.386.45956

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify router model
    Check the device label or web interface administrative panel for the exact model number (ASUS RT-AC56U or RT-AC86U)
    Affected if Model is ASUS RT-AC56U or RT-AC86U
  2. Check firmware version
    Log into the router web interface (typically at 192.168.1.1) and navigate to Administration > Firmware Upgrade or Advanced Settings > System to view the installed firmware version. Alternatively, check the asusrouter.com cloud interface if linked.
    Affected if Firmware version equals 3.0.0.4.386.45956 for RT-AC86U, or is an unpatched version for RT-AC56U (no specific version range provided)
  3. Verify configuration function accessibility
    Locate the configuration or decryption-related settings in the router web interface under Wireless, VPN, or Network Settings. Check if any feature handling decryption parameters or configuration file imports is enabled or accessible.
    Affected if A configuration function handling decryption parameters is present and accessible on the LAN-facing interface
  4. Assess LAN exposure
    Verify which devices can reach the router administration interface by checking the LAN IP range, access control settings, and whether the web interface is bound to all network interfaces (0.0.0.0). Use a network scanner to confirm the router administration port (80/443) is reachable from your local subnet.
    Affected if The router administrative interface is reachable from untrusted LAN devices or the LAN segment is not properly isolated

If the router is an ASUS RT-AC56U or RT-AC86U with firmware version 3.0.0.4.386.45956 (or unpatched for RT-AC56U) and the vulnerable configuration feature is accessible from the LAN, the environment is affected.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor firmware update from ASUS. Until patched, restrict LAN access to trusted devices and consider network segmentation to limit exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ASUS RT-AC86U firmware version later than 3.0.0.4.386.45956 (check ASUS support for latest available version)

  1. 1. Navigate to the official ASUS support page at https://www.asus.com/supportonly/rt-ac86u/helpdesk_download/
  2. 2. Download the latest firmware version for RT-AC86U
  3. 3. Access the router's web administration interface by entering the router's IP address in a web browser
  4. 4. Log in with administrator credentials
  5. 5. Navigate to Administration > Firmware Upgrade
  6. 6. Click 'Upload' and select the downloaded firmware file
  7. 7. Wait for the firmware upload and installation to complete - do not power off the router during this process
  8. 8. After reboot, verify the firmware version has been updated
Caveat Standard firmware upgrade risk - ensure backup of configuration; power interruption during upgrade may brick device

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Rt Ac86u Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-25596 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-25596 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data