CVE-2021-37563

Vulnerability

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write in the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) protocol handling within MediaTek microchips. Affected chipsets include MT7603E, MT7610, MT7612, MT7613, MT7615, MT7620, MT7622, MT7628, MT7629, MT7915, with software version 7.4.0.0 [1]. This affects NETGEAR devices and other products using these chipsets [2].

Exploitation

An attacker within Wi-Fi range can exploit this by sending a specially crafted WPS frame to a vulnerable device. No authentication is required, and user interaction is not needed [1]. The out-of-bounds write occurs during processing of the malicious WPS message.

Impact

Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service. The impact is remote code execution with no privileges required, potentially leading to full compromise of the device [1][2].

Mitigation

MediaTek has released patches; device OEMs like NETGEAR have issued firmware updates. For NETGEAR, fixed versions are available for many extenders and access points (e.g., EAX11v2 firmware 1.0.3.34, WAX202 firmware 1.0.5.1) [2]. Users should update to the latest firmware. No workarounds are available [2].