XT8 unexpected upload traffic from the router

[Da22a1]

After noticing poor network reliability I've found that my router appears to be uploading massive amounts of data at about 50MB/s for periods of about 1min, stops for just under 1min, then starts uploading again.  When this happens there is no evidence of any device on the wireless or wired network uploading any data, which suggests it's the router doing this.  I have 3 XT8 devices in the mesh, but when this upload happens, it continues even if I switch off the other 2 nodes, so it's definitely the router doing it not one of the nodes.

Rebooting cures it for a while, but sometime later it starts again.

All devices are on the same FW and upto date with version 3.0.0.4.388_24668-gb5d7304.

It's like the router is launching a DoS attack on itself!

Any help or clues as to what might be wrong would be helpful. I haven't yet factory reset the device, that's my last resort.

[Alexw]

@okna2003  are you serious?

@Aureliannn_ASUS  what’s going on here?

I’ve not experienced any problems since downgrading firmware, but this has peaked my concern. @Da22a1 @larsmjoh any more problems?

[okna2003]

Yes, I am not kidding. There is a discussion on many forums. Here is an example. The good news is that some router models can be reset to factory settings, and they will work (until you enable Asus services). The bad news is that until Asus releases a software update, these routers are vulnerable.

[mainegeek]

Thanks for the link!

This post in that link seems to suggest that Asus pushed out an update.

I never saw the upload spikes but my 5ghz wifi kept dropping and my router kept rebooting randomly.  It makes me wonder if the malware was trying to infect my router but was causing instability.  I never had the AiCloud services enabled though.

I'm going to stay 1 firmware revision behind since my router has been rock stable since downgrading.

[Aureliannn_ASUS]

Hi @Da22a1 @Alexw @larsmjoh @okna2003 @mainegeek ,

Thank you for your report. 

We are currently investigating this issue and will release a firmware update to address it soon.

In the meantime, we recommend the following steps to improve the stability of your router:

1. Restore the router to its factory settings.
2. After restoring, manually reconfigure your router and set a complex password of at least 10 characters to enhance security. It is recommended that passwords include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters to strengthen the security of the device.   Avoid using sequential letters or numbers, such as 12345678, abcdefgh, qwertyuiop.
3. To improve the stability and security of the router, reduce the use of unnecessary features. Examples include WAN remote access, FTP, AiCloud, port forwarding, SSH, DMZ, and port triggering.

For more information, please refer to [Wireless] How to make my router more secure? | Official Support | ASUS Global

Thank you.