CVE-2018-21231

Vulnerability

Several NETGEAR routers, gateways, and extenders are affected by a security misconfiguration in their firmware [1]. This issue impacts a wide range of models including D1500, D500, D6100, D6220, D6400, D7000, D7800, D8500, DGN2200v4, DGN2200Bv4, EX2700, EX3700, EX3800, EX6000, EX6100, EX6120, EX6130, EX6150, EX6200, EX6400, EX7000, EX7300, JNR1010v2, JR6150, JWNR2010v5, PR2000, R6050, R6100, R6220, R6250, R6300v2, R6400v2, R6700, R6900, R6900P, R7000, R7000P, R7100LG, R7300DST, R7500, R7500v2, R7800, R7900, R8000, R8300, R8500, R9000, WN2000RPTv3, WN2500RPv2, WN3000RPv3, WN3100RPv2, WNDR3400v3, WNDR3700v4, WNDR3700v5, WNDR4300, WNDR4300v2, WNDR4500v3, WNR1000v4, WNR2000v5, WNR2020, and WNR2050 [1]. Affected versions are those prior to the specific firmware revisions listed in the advisory [1]. The misconfiguration involves incorrect security settings, though the exact nature is not detailed in the public advisory [1].

Exploitation

An attacker on the local network could potentially exploit the misconfigured settings to access management interfaces or gain elevated privileges without authentication [1]. The advisory does not specify the exact attack vector, but due to the nature of security misconfiguration, it may allow unauthorized access to sensitive functions [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to the device, information disclosure, or full compromise of the affected NETGEAR device [1]. The impact varies by device model but generally allows an attacker to bypass intended security restrictions [1].

Mitigation

NETGEAR has released firmware updates to fix the security misconfiguration [1]. Users should update their devices to the latest firmware versions as listed in the advisory (e.g., D1500 to 1.0.0.27, D500 to 1.0.0.27, etc.) [1]. No workaround other than updating is available [1].