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Improper Certificate ValidationWeakness · CWE-295

CVE-2026-13385

CRITICAL · 9.5 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-07-15
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 5 weeks old

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
An Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value and Improper Certificate Validation in certain ASUS router models allows a remote man-in-the-middle(MITM) user to make the router download and execute arbitrary command via a spoofed server. Refer to the '  Security Update for ASUS Router Firmware  ' section on the ASUS Security Advisory for more information.

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

This vulnerability involves two distinct issues in ASUS router firmware: improper validation of integrity check values (firmware/image authenticity not verified) and improper certificate validation (TLS/server identity not properly verified). A remote attacker positioned as a man-in-the-middle can spoof the update server, causing the router to download and execute malicious commands disguised as legitimate firmware updates.

MitigationApply the latest ASUS router firmware update from the official ASUS Security Advisory. As a temporary workaround, avoid connecting the router to untrusted networks where MITM attacks are possible until the patch is deployed.

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
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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 your ASUS router model
    Locate the product label on the router bottom or side, or log into the router web interface and check the System or Status page for the model number
    Affected if The device is an ASUS router
  2. Determine the installed firmware version
    Log into the router web interface, navigate to Firmware Upgrade or Administration settings, and record the current firmware version number displayed
    Affected if The displayed firmware version does not match the latest version on the official ASUS support website
  3. Verify the router is configured for automatic or manual firmware updates
    In the router web interface, check the Firmware Upgrade or Update settings. Determine if the router is set to automatically check for and install updates, or if manual updates are enabled
    Affected if Firmware update functionality is enabled and the router can connect to ASUS update servers
  4. Confirm the router is accessible from external networks
    Check the router WAN settings for port forwarding rules, DMZ configuration, or VPN settings that expose the router management interface to the internet. Also verify if the router is connected to an untrusted or public network
    Affected if The router management interface is exposed to untrusted networks or the router is used on networks where MITM attacks are possible
  5. Check if HTTPS is enforced for firmware updates
    In the router firmware update settings, verify whether the update mechanism uses HTTPS connections and whether certificate validation is enabled or bypassed (if such options exist in the interface)
    Affected if The router does not use HTTPS or does not validate certificates when connecting to firmware update servers

You are affected if you use an ASUS router where the firmware version predates the fix for improper integrity check and certificate validation during updates, and the router can connect to update servers over potentially untrusted networks.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the latest ASUS router firmware update from the official ASUS Security Advisory. As a temporary workaround, avoid connecting the router to untrusted networks where MITM attacks are possible until the patch is deployed.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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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-2026-13385 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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