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Actively exploited

CVE-2020-29583 Zyxel Multiple Products Use of Hard-Coded Credentials Vulnerability

Zyxel firewalls (ATP, USG, VM) and AP Controllers (NXC2500 and NXC5500) contain a use of hard-coded credentials vulnerability in an undocumented account ("zyfwp") with an unchangeable password.

From the CISA KEV catalogue version 2026.11.06, with Cybergen analysis. Updated 6 Nov 2026.

Our Assessment

Should You Worry?

Patch nowCybergen assessment
  • CISA confirmed exploitation in the wild and added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 3 Nov 2021.
  • Rated Critical severity (CVSS 9.8, scored by CISA).
  • It has been in the catalogue for 1,829 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
The Vulnerability

What It Is

Firmware version 4.60 of Zyxel USG devices contains an undocumented account (zyfwp) with an unchangeable password. The password for this account can be found in cleartext in the firmware. This account can be used by someone to login to the ssh server or web interface with admin privileges.

From Watch to Action

What To Do Now

  1. 1

    Find it

    Search your asset inventory and external attack surface for Zyxel Multiple Products. Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.

    Attack Surface Management
  2. 2

    Fix it

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

    Vulnerability Management
  3. 3

    Hunt for compromise

    If an affected system was reachable before you patched, assume it may have been hit. Check logs, new accounts, web shells and outbound connections from the date of exposure.

    Incident Response
  4. 4

    Prove it is fixed

    Rescan or test the system after patching. Upgrades that fail silently and forgotten secondary instances are common.

    Penetration Testing

Vendor Advisories

Regulation

The Compliance Clock

Cyber EssentialsRated critical, so if it affects devices in your Cyber Essentials scope, the update must be installed within 14 days of the vendor releasing it.NIS2If exploitation causes a significant incident, essential and important entities owe their CSIRT an early warning within 24 hours and a notification within 72 hours.DORAFinancial entities must classify ICT incidents and send an initial notification for a major incident within strict deadlines, with exploited flaws a common cause.US federal (BOD 22-01)Federal civilian agencies had until 3 May 2022 to remediate. A sensible benchmark for everyone else.

General guidance, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, scope and jurisdiction.

Stay Ahead

More Exploited Zyxel Flaws

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CVE-2026-7273Zyxel GS1900 Series Switches Stack-Based Buffer Overflow VulnerabilityAdded 21 Sep 2026CVE-2024-40891Zyxel DSL CPE OS Command Injection VulnerabilityAdded 11 Feb 2025CVE-2024-40890Zyxel DSL CPE OS Command Injection VulnerabilityAdded 11 Feb 2025CVE-2024-11667 · RansomwareZyxel Multiple Firewalls Path Traversal VulnerabilityAdded 3 Dec 2024CVE-2017-6884 · RansomwareZyxel EMG2926 Routers Command Injection VulnerabilityAdded 18 Sep 2023CVE-2017-18368Zyxel P660HN-T1A Routers Command Injection VulnerabilityAdded 7 Aug 2023

All 13 exploited Zyxel vulnerabilities

Not Sure If You Are Exposed?

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Evidence

Sources

  1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue
  2. NVD: CVE-2020-29583
  3. CVE record: CVE-2020-29583
  4. FIRST EPSS
  5. zyxel.com/support/security_advisories.shtml
  6. ftp.zyxel.com/USG40/firmware/USG40_4.60%28AALA.1%29C0_2.pdf
  7. businessforum.zyxel.com/discussion/5254/whats-new-for-zld4-60-patch-1-available-on-dec-15
  8. businessforum.zyxel.com/discussion/5252/zld-v4-60-revoke-and-wk48-firmware-release
  9. eyecontrol.nl/blog/undocumented-user-account-in-zyxel-products.html
  10. zyxel.com/support/CVE-2020-29583.shtml
  11. secpod.com/blog/a-secret-zyxel-firewall-and-ap-controllers-could-allow-for-administrative-access-cve