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CVE Record

CVE-2018-21161: Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by incorrect configuration of security settings.

Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by incorrect configuration of security settings. This affects D7800 before 1.0.1.34, R7800 before 1.0.2.46, and R9000 before 1.0.3.16.

HighCVSS 8.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2018-21161 is a high-severity security misconfiguration issue in specific NETGEAR gateway and router firmware. The known affected models are D7800, R7800, and R9000 before the fixed firmware versions. The public record indicates potential full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, but requires user interaction.

Executive priority

Treat as a high-priority firmware remediation item where affected NETGEAR devices support business connectivity. Prioritize internet-adjacent or operationally important locations first, while recognizing public evidence here does not establish active exploitation.

Technical view

The CVSS v3.0 vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, scoring 8.8. The issue is described only as incorrect configuration of security settings. Sources identify fixed version thresholds: D7800 1.0.1.34, R7800 1.0.2.46, and R9000 1.0.3.16.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to the named NETGEAR D7800, R7800, and R9000 devices running firmware older than the listed fixed versions. The source bundle does not identify other products or configurations.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates network reachability, no privileges required, low complexity, and required user interaction.

Researcher notes

Public detail is sparse: no CWE is provided, and the issue is only described as security misconfiguration. Avoid assuming the vulnerable setting or exploit path without vendor detail or device testing.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory NETGEAR D7800, R7800, and R9000 devices in use.
  • Update D7800 firmware to 1.0.1.34 or later.
  • Update R7800 firmware to 1.0.2.46 or later.
  • Update R9000 firmware to 1.0.3.16 or later.
  • Check NETGEAR advisory for official firmware guidance before rollout.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm each device model and firmware version from management records.
  • Compare firmware versions against the fixed thresholds in the advisory.
  • Verify updated devices report the expected firmware after maintenance.
  • Check vulnerability tooling for stale detections after firmware updates.
  • Document any unreachable or unsupported devices for risk review.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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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CVE-2018-21161 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
8.8 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:N/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI:R

Official CVE source material

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.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
8.8CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:N/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI:R2.85.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

8.8High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2018-21161Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:N/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI:R

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.