Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-21192 is a NETGEAR router and gateway vulnerability where an already authenticated user could trigger a stack-based buffer overflow. Successful impact could compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but the attacker needs high privileges and adjacent-network access according to the CVSS vector.
Executive priority
Medium priority. The vulnerability can have severe device impact, but exploitation requires high privileges and adjacent access. Patch affected routers during the next network-maintenance window, sooner for internet-edge or poorly governed admin environments.
Technical view
The issue is a post-authentication stack-based buffer overflow affecting specific NETGEAR firmware versions on D6100, R6100, R7800, R9000, WNDR3700v4, WNDR4300, WNDR4300v2, WNDR4500v3, and WNR2000v5. CVSS 3.0 score is 6.8 with adjacent attack vector, low complexity, high privileges required, no user interaction, and high CIA impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to organizations still operating the listed NETGEAR models below the fixed firmware versions. Risk is highest where router administration is shared, weakly controlled, or reachable from untrusted adjacent networks.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Treat this as a patch and asset-management issue unless additional vendor or threat-intelligence evidence indicates exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and NETGEAR advisory reference. The affected list is model and firmware specific; do not generalize to other NETGEAR products without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected NETGEAR models to the listed fixed firmware version or later.
- Check the NETGEAR advisory for model-specific firmware and remediation details.
- Prioritize devices with shared or weakly governed administrator access.
- Escalate unsupported or unpatchable devices for vendor-guided remediation.
Validation and detection
- Inventory NETGEAR D6100, R6100, R7800, R9000, WNDR, and WNR2000v5 devices.
- Compare installed firmware against the fixed version thresholds in the CVE description.
- Confirm administrative access is limited to authorized personnel.
- Record remediation status and any devices requiring vendor guidance.
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.
CVE-2018-21192 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
- 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/000055165/Security-Advisory-for-Post-Authentication-Stack-Overflow-on-Some-Routers-and-Gateways-PSV-2017-2603CVE 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.