Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Some NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 wireless access points can let an unauthenticated nearby attacker run commands on the device. The known affected condition is firmware before 5.0.0.17. Business concern is loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability for access point infrastructure.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for affected access points, especially in business-critical or sensitive locations. The flaw is pre-authentication with high impact, but provided evidence does not show active exploitation.
Technical view
CVE-2018-21126 is a pre-authentication command injection issue affecting NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 before firmware 5.0.0.17. CVSS 3.0 score is 8.8 with adjacent-network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and high C/I/A impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to organizations running NETGEAR WAC505 or WAC510 devices with firmware earlier than 5.0.0.17. The CVSS vector indicates adjacent-network access is required; the provided sources do not establish internet-wide exposure.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not indicate CISA KEV listing or provide evidence of active exploitation. Treat this as a serious pre-authentication network-device flaw, but do not assume exploitation is occurring without additional telemetry or vendor intelligence.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are product-specific: WAC505 and WAC510 before 5.0.0.17. CVSS AV:A suggests attacker proximity or same adjacent network. Sources do not include exploit details, CWE mapping, or broader affected product evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 access points.
- Upgrade affected devices to firmware 5.0.0.17 or later.
- Review NETGEAR advisory PSV-2018-0262 for vendor-specific guidance.
- Restrict administrative access to trusted networks while remediation is pending.
- Replace devices that cannot be updated to a fixed firmware.
Validation and detection
- Confirm each WAC505 and WAC510 firmware version.
- Flag any device running firmware earlier than 5.0.0.17.
- Verify updated devices report firmware 5.0.0.17 or later.
- Check asset records for unmanaged or forgotten access points.
- Review network monitoring for unusual access point behavior.
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
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Execution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-21126 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:A/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:N/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:A/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI:N2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:A/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://kb.netgear.com/000060232/Security-Advisory-for-Pre-Authentication-Command-Injection-on-Some-Wireless-Access-Points-PSV-2018-0262CVE 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.