Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-21132 is an authentication bypass affecting certain NETGEAR wireless access points. An attacker on an adjacent network may be able to bypass login protections on vulnerable WAC505 or WAC510 devices before firmware 5.0.0.17, creating risk to network confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority where affected NETGEAR access points remain deployed. The business risk is unauthorized device access on local or wireless-adjacent networks, but the provided sources do not show known active exploitation.
Technical view
The CVE describes authentication bypass in NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 firmware versions before 5.0.0.17. CVSS 3.0 is 8.8 with adjacent-network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in organizations still operating NETGEAR WAC505 or WAC510 access points below firmware 5.0.0.17, especially where device management is reachable from wireless or local adjacent networks.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not cite CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates exploitation requires adjacent-network access, but no authentication or user interaction.
Researcher notes
Public detail in the bundle is limited. The vendor advisory and CVE record identify products and fixed-version boundary, but the affected CPE data is not populated. Avoid assuming other NETGEAR models are affected without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 access points.
- Upgrade affected devices to firmware 5.0.0.17 or later.
- Check the NETGEAR advisory for current vendor guidance.
- Restrict management access to trusted administrative networks.
- Retire devices that cannot receive supported firmware.
Validation and detection
- Confirm each access point model and firmware version.
- Flag WAC505 or WAC510 devices below 5.0.0.17.
- Verify management interfaces are not broadly reachable.
- Review logs for unexpected administrative access where available.
- Document remediation status for each device.
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.
Credential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-21132 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
- 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/000060228/Security-Advisory-for-Authentication-Bypass-on-Some-Wireless-Access-Points-PSV-2018-0299CVE 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.