Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a NETGEAR router and gateway flaw where an already authenticated user could trigger a stack-based overflow. The listed impact is severe for confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but exposure is reduced because the attacker needs high privileges and adjacent-network access.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority network hygiene issue. It is not described as remotely exploitable without authentication, but vulnerable edge or office routers can become high-impact control points if administrator access is compromised.
Technical view
CVE-2018-21197 affects specific NETGEAR models before listed firmware versions. The CVSS 3.0 vector is AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N with high C/I/A impact, indicating adjacent access and high privileges are required. The source bundle does not identify a CWE or vulnerable endpoint.
Likely exposure
Organizations are exposed if they still operate the listed NETGEAR D7800, R-series, WNDR-series, or WNR2000v5 devices below the fixed firmware versions, especially where administration is reachable by shared, contractor, or unmanaged local users.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerability is post-authentication, so risk is most relevant where router administrative access is broadly shared, weakly governed, or reachable from untrusted adjacent networks.
Researcher notes
The affected product list is supplied in the CVE description, while the structured affected field is unhelpfully n/a. No vulnerable function, exploit details, CWE, or operational workaround is provided in the bundle, so validation should focus on model and firmware state.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade each affected NETGEAR model to the fixed or later firmware version.
- Check the NETGEAR advisory for model-specific firmware and update instructions.
- Restrict router administration to trusted administrators and trusted management networks.
- Remove unnecessary or stale administrative accounts on affected devices.
Validation and detection
- Inventory NETGEAR router and gateway models in use.
- Compare installed firmware against the fixed versions listed in the CVE description.
- Confirm administrative access is limited to approved users and networks.
- Review device management settings for unexpected administrator accounts or exposure.
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-2018-21197 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/000055152/Security-Advisory-for-Post-Authentication-Stack-Overflow-on-Some-Routers-and-Gateways-PSV-2017-2596CVE 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.