Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2017-18829 lets a lower-privileged user gain higher privileges on certain NETGEAR fully managed switches. The business risk is loss of control over network switching infrastructure if affected devices remain on firmware before 12.0.2.15.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority network infrastructure maintenance item, especially for switches carrying production or sensitive traffic. The issue is older, but unpatched devices can remain exposed for years.
Technical view
The CVE describes vertical privilege escalation affecting NETGEAR M4200 and listed M4300 switch models before firmware 12.0.2.15. CVSS 3.0 is 7.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to the named NETGEAR M4200 and M4300 switch models running firmware earlier than 12.0.2.15. The CVSS vector indicates an attacker needs local access and low privileges on the target context.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Public details provided here do not include exploit steps, root cause, or proof-of-concept status.
Researcher notes
Evidence is concise: affected models, fixed-version boundary, CVSS vector, and vendor advisory reference. No CWE, root-cause detail, workaround, exploit maturity, or active exploitation evidence is included in the provided sources.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected switches to firmware 12.0.2.15 or later.
- Review NETGEAR advisory PSV-2017-1937 for device-specific guidance.
- Restrict administrative access to switch management interfaces.
- Remove unnecessary low-privileged accounts from affected devices.
- Prioritize switches supporting sensitive, segmented, or production networks.
Validation and detection
- Inventory NETGEAR M4200 and listed M4300 switch models.
- Record firmware versions and compare against 12.0.2.15.
- Confirm upgraded devices report fixed firmware after maintenance.
- Review switch user accounts for unexpected privilege changes.
- Check logs for unusual administrative activity where available.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
Privilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2017-18829 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:L/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:L/S:U/UI:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:L/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:L/S:U/UI:N1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:L/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:L/S:U/UI:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://kb.netgear.com/000049032/Security-Advisory-for-Vertical-Privilege-Escalation-on-Some-Fully-Managed-Switches-PSV-2017-1937CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.