HIGH CVSS 7.5
Published: 2022-10-19

CVE-2020-23648

asus rt-n12e_firmware Security Advisory (CVE-2020-23648)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2020-23648 impacting asus rt-n12e_firmware. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Asus RT-N12E 2.0.0.39 is affected by an incorrect access control vulnerability. Through system.asp / start_apply.htm, an attacker can change the administrator password without any authentication.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product asus / rt-n12e_firmware
Affected Versions 2.0.0.39
Weakness Enumeration CWE-306

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2020-23648 impacting asus rt-n12e_firmware.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2020-23648.yaml
id: cve-2020-23648

info:
  name: asus rt-n12e_firmware - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2020-23648 affecting asus rt-n12e_firmware.
    Evaluation: Asus RT-N12E 2.0.0.39 is affected by an incorrect access control vulnerability. Through system.asp / start_apply.htm, an attacker can change the admin...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2020-23648
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
    cvss-score: 7.5
    cve-id: CVE-2020-23648
    cwe-id: CWE-306
  tags: cve,cve-2020-23648,asus,rt-n12e_firmware,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "rt-n12e_firmware"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2020-23648.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2020-23648
# Target: asus rt-n12e_firmware | CVSS: 7.5 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2020-23648 (asus rt-n12e_firmware)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against asus rt-n12e_firmware scope (2.0.0.39).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2020-23648.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2020-23648
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install rt-n12e_firmware 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade rt-n12e_firmware 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update rt-n12e_firmware

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i rt-n12e_firmware 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i rt-n12e_firmware

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2020-23648 in asus rt-n12e_firmware?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update asus rt-n12e_firmware packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2020-23648?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2020-23648?

CVE-2020-23648 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.5
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2020-23648
Weakness CWE-306
Vendor asus
Product rt-n12e_firmware
Published 2022-10-19
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N