Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This CVE affects several older NETGEAR routers and gateways. An attacker who already has authenticated administrative access and network proximity could inject commands into the device, potentially taking control of router behavior or exposing traffic and configuration data.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate priority unless affected devices protect sensitive networks or admin access is broadly shared. The main business concern is older edge equipment that may be forgotten but still controls network traffic and access.
Technical view
CVE-2018-21225 is a post-authentication command injection issue in listed NETGEAR D-series, R-series, and Nighthawk devices before specified firmware versions. The CVSS 3.0 vector is AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, meaning adjacent access and high privileges are required, but impact can be severe.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to organizations still running the named NETGEAR models below fixed firmware versions. Risk is higher where router administration is available to many users, shared networks, guest networks, or unmanaged small-office environments.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires authentication with high privileges and adjacent-network access according to the provided CVSS vector.
Researcher notes
Public details are sparse: no CWE is provided, and the source bundle gives no vulnerable endpoint, proof-of-concept, or active exploitation evidence. Validation should focus on model, firmware, administrative exposure, and whether fixed firmware is available from NETGEAR.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory NETGEAR devices against the affected model list.
- Upgrade each device to the fixed firmware version or later.
- Restrict administrative access to trusted administrators and management networks.
- Check NETGEAR guidance before applying any workaround or operational change.
- Replace unsupported devices that cannot receive fixed firmware.
Validation and detection
- Confirm each router model and firmware version from the management interface.
- Compare installed firmware against the fixed versions in the CVE description.
- Review who has administrative credentials for affected devices.
- Verify administration is not exposed to untrusted or guest network segments.
- Check vendor advisories for model-specific firmware availability.
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-2018-21225 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/000055112/Security-Advisory-for-Post-Authentication-Command-Injection-on-Some-Routers-and-Gateways-PSV-2017-2160CVE 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.