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Classic Buffer OverflowWeakness · CWE-120

CVE-2024-33278

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Buffer Overflow vulnerability in ASUS router RT-AX88U with firmware versions v3.0.0.4.388_24198 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via the connection_state_machine due to improper length validation for the cookie field.

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

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the connection_state_machine component of ASUS RT-AX88U routers running firmware v3.0.0.4.388_24198. The vulnerability stems from improper length validation applied to the cookie field, allowing an attacker to overflow the buffer and execute arbitrary code remotely.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided firmware update to the latest patched version. If unavailable, restrict remote administrative access to trusted IPs or disable the affected service.

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

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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
    Access the router admin interface or check the device label to confirm the model is ASUS RT-AX88U
    Affected if The device is not an ASUS RT-AX88U model
  2. Check installed firmware version
    Log into the router admin panel, navigate to the Administration or System section, and locate the firmware version field
    Affected if The firmware version is v3.0.0.4.388_24198 or earlier and has not been patched to a newer version
  3. Verify if remote administrative access is enabled
    In the router admin interface, check the WAN or Remote Management settings (usually under Administration > System > Remote Access) to see if remote access is permitted
    Affected if Remote administrative access from WAN is enabled, exposing the service to external attackers
  4. Confirm the connection_state_machine service is accessible
    Check if the router's web interface or API service handling connection state is reachable from the WAN side on typical ports 80, 443, or 8080
    Affected if The router's management service is exposed to the internet and accepts requests

A user is affected if they own an ASUS RT-AX88U router running firmware v3.0.0.4.388_24198 or earlier with remote administrative access enabled and the service exposed to the network.

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-provided firmware update to the latest patched version. If unavailable, restrict remote administrative access to trusted IPs or disable the affected service.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

RT-AX88U firmware version newer than v3.0.0.4.388_24198 (check ASUS support page for latest stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the current firmware version of the ASUS RT-AX88U router by accessing the web management interface at http://router.asus.com and navigating to Administration > Firmware Upgrade, or checking the Administration > System section.
  2. 2. Download the latest firmware version for RT-AX88U from the official ASUS support website at https://www.asus.com/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/asus-wifi-routers/rt-ax88u/helpdesk_bios/
  3. 3. In the router's web interface, go to Administration > Firmware Upgrade and use the Manual Firmware Update option to upload the downloaded firmware file.
  4. 4. Wait for the firmware upload and installation to complete - the router will automatically reboot.
  5. 5. After the router restarts, verify the new firmware version is installed and confirm the version is higher than v3.0.0.4.388_24198.
Caveat Firmware upgrades on ASUS routers typically preserve settings, but backup configuration is recommended before upgrading

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
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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-2024-33278 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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