Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This NETGEAR router flaw lets an already authenticated user inject operating-system commands on affected devices. It is not described as remotely exploitable without credentials. Business risk is moderate: compromise of router admin access could lead to full device impact, but exposure is limited by required authentication and adjacent-network access.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted remediation item, not an emergency internet-wide crisis. Prioritize routers managing sensitive networks or using shared administrator credentials.
Technical view
CVE-2018-21164 is a post-authentication command injection issue affecting NETGEAR R6220 firmware before 1.1.0.64 and WNDR3700v5 firmware before 1.1.0.54. The CVSS 3.0 score is 6.8 with adjacent-network attack vector, low complexity, high privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to organizations still running the named NETGEAR router models on older firmware, especially where administrator access is shared, weakly protected, or reachable from broader internal networks.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The vulnerability requires an authenticated user, and the CVSS vector indicates adjacent-network access and high privileges are required.
Researcher notes
The source bundle identifies affected models and fixed-version thresholds but does not provide vulnerable endpoints, root cause detail, proof of concept, or exploitation telemetry. Avoid assuming additional NETGEAR models are affected.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade R6220 firmware to 1.1.0.64 or later.
- Upgrade WNDR3700v5 firmware to 1.1.0.54 or later.
- Review the NETGEAR advisory for model-specific guidance.
- Restrict router administration to trusted administrators and management networks.
- Rotate router administrator credentials where unauthorized access is suspected.
Validation and detection
- Inventory NETGEAR R6220 and WNDR3700v5 devices.
- Compare installed firmware versions against the affected version thresholds.
- Confirm administrative interfaces are not broadly reachable from user networks.
- Review administrator access history for unexpected changes or logins.
- Verify upgraded devices remain functional after firmware update.
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.
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-2018-21164 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:A/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:H/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:H/S:U/UI:N0.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
6.8MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/AV:A/A:H/C:H/I:H/PR:H/S:U/UI:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://kb.netgear.com/000055195/Security-Advisory-for-Post-Authentication-Command-Injection-on-Some-Routers-PSV-2017-3171CVE 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.