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Orbi Firmware Upgrades Not Keeping Up With OpenVPN Security Standards
Greetings!
I am leveraging the VPN function on the Orbi which is using the OpenVPN. I have not been having a problem until around early last year when our connections using OpenVPN are now showing this error:
WARNING: Compression for receiving enabled. Compression has been used in the past to break encryption. Sent packets are not compressed unless "allow-compression yes" is also set.
DEPRECIATED OPTION: --cipher set to 'AES-128-CBC' but missing in --data-ciphers (AES-256-GCM: AES-128-GCM). Open VPN ignores --cipher for cipher negotiations
OpenVPN has made this change to remove compression way back in 2023-01. So this compression issue is preventing connection with VPN. Why hasn't NETGEAR been keeping up with this and making changes to VPN with Firmware upgrades. How can I fix this issue and get my VPN back up and running?
26 Comments
This isn't Facebook here. We talk of standard business product lifetime information -every- vendor must supply, and hold on to the schedule.
OpenVPN 2.6.0 was released back in the second half of January 2023. Since then, the first compatibility complaints were reported in the Netgear Community (all over, as OpenVPN is widely included with many Netgear products). This was before for some market version LONG BEFORE the EOL date for any Orbi Pro WiFi 6 system!
Last update for eg. the SXR80/SXS80 was released about one month ago, and Netgear bluntly failed to inherit the major code change of OpenVPN for more than one year!
This is in no aspect to be expected or acceptable by the Netgear Business customers!
Let's rip into Netgear for their lack of transparency on product lifecycles, shall we? Here's a few ways to see it:
- Planned Obsolescence: Netgear might be deliberately keeping you in the dark so you'll buy new products more often. They're hoping you won't know how long their stuff actually lasts, so you'll play it safe and buy a new router/switch/whatever every few years, even if the old one is still kicking.
- They Don't Care Enough About Businesses: Businesses rely on stability and predictability. With no lifecycle plan, Netgear is basically saying "hey businesses, screw your long-term planning, buy our stuff and hope it lasts!" Not exactly confidence inspiring, is it?
- Incompetent or Clueless? Maybe Netgear just doesn't have a clue about how long their products should last. That's not much better! If they can't figure out how long their own products will work, how can you trust them to deliver reliable business solutions?
Netgear's lack of product lifecycle plan is a slap in the face to businesses who need stability and predictability. It's either a cynical ploy to make more money or a sign of ineptitude. Neither reflects well on Netgear Business.
