CVE-2017-18837
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedCertain NETGEAR devices are affected by vertical privilege escalation. This affects M4300-28G before 12.0.2.15, M4300-52G before 12.0.2.15, M4300-28G-POE+ before 12.0.2.15, M4300-52G-POE+ before 12.0.2.15, M4300-8X8F before 12.0.2.15, M4300-12X12F before 12.0.2.15, M4300-24X24F before 12.0.2.15, M4300-24X before 12.0.2.15, M4300-48X before 12.0.2.15, and M4200 before 12.0.2.15.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThis is a vertical privilege escalation vulnerability in NETGEAR M4300 series switches and M4200. An authenticated user with limited privileges can potentially elevate their privileges to administrator level due to insufficient authorization controls in the firmware before version 12.0.2.15.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 12.0.2.15< 12.0.2.15< 12.0.2.15< 12.0.2.15< 12.0.2.15< 12.0.2.15< 12.0.2.15< 12.0.2.15CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device modelAccess the switch web interface (usually via browser at the device IP) and check the device model shown on the main page, or use the CLI command 'show version' to display model informationAffected if The device is not one of: Netgear M4300 28g, M4300 52g, M4300 28g Poe+, M4300 52g Poe+, M4300 8x8f, M4300 12x12f, M4300 24x24f, M4300 24x, or M4200 series
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Check the installed firmware versionIn the web interface, go to Maintenance > Firmware Upgrade or System > Management > Device IP Configuration to view the firmware version. Alternatively, use CLI command 'show version' or 'show firmware'Affected if The firmware version is lower than 12.0.2.15 (for example, 12.0.0.x, 12.0.1.x, or any version below 12.0.2.15)
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Verify user authentication is configuredIn the web interface, go to Security > User Management or Security > Management Access to confirm local user accounts or authentication servers are enabled. In CLI, use 'show user' or 'show authentication'Affected if User authentication is enabled and at least one limited-privilege user account exists on the device
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Confirm the device is accessible on the networkPing the device IP address or attempt to access the web interface or SSH/Telnet to verify network accessibilityAffected if The device is reachable on the network and accepts management connections
The environment is affected if the device model is a Netgear M4300 or M4200 series switch AND the firmware version is below 12.0.2.15 AND user authentication is configured, allowing a limited-privilege authenticated user to potentially escalate privileges.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data12.0.2.15
Upgrade NETGEAR M4300 and M4200 devices to firmware version 12.0.2.15 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-18837 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-18837 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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