CVE-2018-21117
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 · uneditedNETGEAR XR500 devices before 2.3.2.32 are affected by remote code execution by unauthenticated attackers via the traceroute handler.
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 confidenceUnauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in NETGEAR XR500 routers allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via the traceroute handler. The flaw affects firmware versions prior to 2.3.2.32, indicating a lack of proper input sanitization or access controls in the traceroute functionality that accepts user-supplied data without authentication.
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< 2.3.2.32CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/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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Confirm device model is NETGEAR XR500Access the router web interface (typically at 192.168.1.1) and check the device information page, or use nmap or examine the HTTP response headers to identify the device model.Affected if The device is not a NETGEAR XR500 router (different models are not affected by this specific CVE).
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Check the installed firmware versionAccess the router web interface and navigate to Administration > Firmware Update or a similar section to view the current firmware version. Alternatively, inspect the HTTP response from the router or use router diagnostic tools if available.Affected if The firmware version is less than 2.3.2.32 (for example, 2.3.2.20 or 2.2.1.14). Versions 2.3.2.32 and later are not affected.
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Verify traceroute functionality is accessibleConfirm the router web interface is reachable and the traceroute feature exists. This can be done by checking if the router responds to HTTP/HTTPS requests and attempting to locate the traceroute diagnostic page within the web interface.Affected if The traceroute handler is accessible without authentication on the router's web interface, which is the default state for affected firmware versions.
A NETGEAR XR500 router running firmware version prior to 2.3.2.32 with an accessible web interface and traceroute functionality is affected by this vulnerability.
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 data2.3.2.32
Update NETGEAR XR500 firmware to version 2.3.2.32 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If updating is not immediately feasible, restrict network access to the router's management interfaces from untrusted networks.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-21117 — 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-2018-21117 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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