Your Netgear router may be vulnerable to a security exploit – how to check and patch it

ZDNET’s key takeaways

- Certain Netgear routers are vulnerable to security exploits.

- Netgear has issued patches for all the supported models.

- Some routers have reached end of support, which means no further updates.

Do you own a Netgear router? The bad news is that the device could be susceptible to a security flaw that would leave it vulnerable to an attacker. The good news: This exploit affects only a small number of Netgear routers, and the company has already issued patches to squash the bugs.

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The vulnerabilities differ slightly among the various affected models, as described in Netgear’s security advisory. In general, these flaws could be exploited by an attacker who gains access to your network, allowing them to run unauthorized and potentially malicious commands on the router.

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All the flaws are ranked as medium severity but clearly still pose a threat, prompting Netgear to roll out new firmware for each impacted model. You should be able to update your router to the latest firmware directly through its settings, but you can also grab each update from Netgear’s website.

CVE-2026-11732

Described in CVE-2026-11732, the first vulnerability could allow an attacker who already has access to your network, most likely through your Wi-Fi credentials, to run unauthorized commands on the device. The flaw is exploitable only if you’ve enabled the Block Sites feature, which blocks access to specific web sites based on domain name or keywords.

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Affected products and the firmware download pages to patch the bug:

- CAX30 Nighthawk AX6 6-Stream WiFi 6 Cable Modem Router – Firmware Download

- RAX30 Nighthawk AX5 5-Stream AX2400 WiFi 6 Router – Firmware Download

- RAX5 4-Stream AX1600 WiFi 6 Router (EoS) – Firmware Download

- RAXE300 Nighthawk AXE7800 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router – Firmware Download

Among these, the RAX5 4-Stream AX1600 WiFi 6 Router has reached end of service (EoS), meaning no further updates will be available after this latest one. In this case, Netgear advises owners to upgrade to a newer router.

CVE-2026-11731

Defined in CVE-2026-11731, the second vulnerability could allow an unauthenticated attacker with access to your local network and your router’s management service view and modify certain device details and administrative settings.

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Affected products and the download pages to patch the bug:

- RAX28 Nighthawk AX5 5-Stream AX2200 WiFi 6 Router – Firmware Download

- RAX29 Nighthawk AX2400 WiFi 6 Router – Firmware Download

- RAX30 Nighthawk AX5 5-Stream AX2400 WiFi 6 Router – Firmware Download

CVE-2026-11730

Documented in CVE-2026-11730, the third vulnerability impacts two Netgear range extenders. Here, an attacker who already has local network access could hijack an authenticated administrator session on the device’s web management portal.

Affected products and their firmware download pages:

- EX3700 AC750 WiFi Range Extender Essentials Edition (EoS) – Firmware Download

- EX6120 AC1200 Dual Band WiFi Range Extender – Firmware Download

Among these two, the EX3700 AC750 WiFi Range Extender Essentials Edition has reached end of service, which means it’s time to move to a newer device.

The remaining routers impacted by security flaws have all reached end of service. Again, that means no further updates will be available, and Netgear advises owners to switch to a newer device.

CVE-2026-9218

Described in CVE-2026-9218, an attacker who’s connected to the router’s local network and has the administrator username and password could run unauthorized commands on the device.

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Affected products and their firmware download pages:

- CBR40 Orbi AC2200 Tri-band WiFi Cable Modem Router (EoS) – Firmware Download

- R7000 Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Router (EoS) – Firmware Download

- R7000P Nighthawk AC2300 Smart WiFi Dual Band Gigabit Router (EoS) – Firmware Download

- RAX40 Nighthawk AX4 4-Stream WiFi Router (EoS) – Firmware Download

With the CBR40 Orbi AC2200 Tri-band WiFi Cable Modem Router, the latest firmware will not fix the current security bug, so owners should move to a newer device to stay secure.

The remaining Netgear router impacted by security flaws is also at end-of-service, and the latest firmware won’t fix its security flaws. Again, Netgear advises owners to switch to a newer and more secure device.

Affected product and firmware download page:

- R7300DST Nighthawk AC1900 DST Router & Adapter (EoS) – Firmware Download