NETGEAR is aware of a report related to firmware image encryption on the MR1100, also known as the NETGEAR M1 Mobile Router.
It was reported that a NETGEAR M1 Mobile Router firmware image was partially decrypted, which simplifies the process of looking for potential security weaknesses. The report did not identify any security-related vulnerabilities in the firmware itself.
NETGEAR has no current plans to release a fix for the M1 Mobile Router, for the following reasons:
- The image encryption is stripped off as part of the NETGEAR M1 Mobile Router firmware update process and has no operational impact on the usage of the product.
- At this time, no security issues related to the NETGEAR M1 Mobile Router firmware have been identified as a result of bypassing the firmware image encryption.
- Changing the encryption mechanism for existing M1 products in the field cannot be done without exposing the new encryption keys and methods to the same reverse engineering techniques in the report.
NETGEAR continues to be committed to exploring new methods of enhancing firmware image security.
Disclaimer
This document is provided on an "as is" basis and does not imply any kind of guarantee or warranty, including the warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use. Your use of the information in the document or materials linked from the document is at your own risk. NETGEAR reserves the right to change or update this document at any time. NETGEAR expects to update this document as new information becomes available.
Acknowledgements
Pen Test Partners
Common Vulnerability Scoring System Vector
CVSS v3 Rating: Low
CVSS v3 Score: 3.6
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Contact
We appreciate and value having security concerns brought to our attention. NETGEAR constantly monitors for both known and unknown threats. Being pro-active rather than re-active to emerging security issues is fundamental for product support at NETGEAR.
It is NETGEAR's mission to be the innovative leader in connecting the world to the internet. To achieve this mission, we strive to earn and maintain the trust of those that use NETGEAR products for their connectivity.
To report a security vulnerability, visit https://bugcrowd.com/netgear.
If you are a NETGEAR customer with a security-related support concern, you can contact NETGEAR customer support at techsupport.security@netgear.com.
For all other issues, visit http://www.netgear.com/about/security/.
Revision History
2019-08-14: Published advisory