Vulnerability in Wireless Router Chipsets Prompts Advisory

Synopsys has issued an advisory warning of authentication bypass vulnerabilities in multiple wireless router chipsets built into devices manufactured by Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Realtek. 

CVE-2019-18989, CVE-2019-18990, and CVE-2019-18991 refer to a partial authentication bypass vulnerability affecting multiple products from these manufacturers. The Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center notes it was unable to create a comprehensive list of vulnerable devices and chipsets, and vulnerable chipsets may be embedded into additional products.

This would enable an attacker to inject packets into a WPA2-protected network without any knowledge of the preshared key. These packets would be routed through the network as valid packets are, researchers explain, and responses to the injected packets will return encrypted. Because an attacker could control what is sent through the network, they could determine if an injected packed infected an active system. 

In response to the vulnerability, MediaTek and Realtek say patches will be made available upon request. Qualcomm says the identified chipsets have all reached end of life and have been discontinued; this issue does not affect currently supported chipsets, the company says. 

Synopsys contacted all manufacturers behind tested devices as part of the disclosure process. Both D-Link and Zyxel have confirmed patches with a fix exist and will be made available.

Read the full advisory and analysis for more details.