Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-36538 reports a hard-coded root password in Netis AC1200 Router NC21 firmware V4.0.1.4296. If an attacker can reach and authenticate to the device, they may gain full operating-system control. No source provided confirms active exploitation or a vendor patch.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for environments using the named router firmware, especially if management access is exposed. Prioritize inventory, exposure reduction, and vendor guidance review. No active exploitation is confirmed in the provided sources.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-798: use of hard-coded credentials. The disclosed credential is associated with the root account in /etc/shadow.sample, with password value reported as “root.” CVSS 3.1 is 7.3 high, vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L. Affected CPE data is not populated in the CVE record.
Likely exposure
Organizations using Netis AC1200 Router NC21 V4.0.1.4296 are the relevant exposure group. Risk is highest where router management or login services are reachable from untrusted networks. The provided sources do not define broader affected versions or models.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed in-the-wild exploitation. The disclosed condition could allow root authentication by someone with access to the device’s reachable authentication surface, but the sources do not provide exploitation telemetry.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE metadata and public disclosure reference. The CVE record lists affected vendor/product as n/a despite the title naming Netis AC1200 Router NC21 V4.0.1.4296. No patch, workaround, or exploitation-in-the-wild evidence is included.
Mitigation direction
- Check Netis or distributor guidance for firmware updates or official mitigation.
- Restrict router management access to trusted administrative networks only.
- Remove internet exposure for administrative interfaces where possible.
- Replace affected devices if no supported vendor fix is available.
- Monitor router logs for unexpected root or administrative access.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Netis AC1200 Router NC21 devices and firmware versions.
- Identify any devices running firmware V4.0.1.4296.
- Confirm administrative interfaces are not reachable from the public internet.
- Review logs for unexpected administrative or root authentication events.
- Track the CVE record and disclosure repository for vendor or researcher updates.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-798: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-36538 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L3.93.4CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.3HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/sir3ns/cve-disclosure/blob/main/CVE-2026-36538/readme.mdCVE reference, mitre
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Use of Hard-coded Credentials
Use of Hard-coded Credentials represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.