CVE-2018-21118
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 authentication bypass.
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 · high confidenceNETGEAR XR500 routers before firmware version 2.3.2.32 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass the authentication mechanism and gain unauthorized access to the device's administrative interface without valid credentials.
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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Access router admin interfaceOpen a web browser and navigate to the NETGEAR XR500 router's IP address (commonly 192.168.1.1). Log in with valid administrator credentials.Affected if N/A - this is the first step to begin the detection process.
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Locate firmware version informationIn the router's web interface, look for a section typically found under Administration, Settings, or a dedicated Firmware Update page that displays the current firmware version.Affected if N/A - this step identifies the version number needed for comparison.
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Record installed firmware versionNote the exact firmware version number displayed on the router's status or administration page.Affected if N/A - this captures the version needed for the next check.
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Compare version to affected rangeCompare the recorded firmware version number against the affected range: any version less than 2.3.2.32 is vulnerable.Affected if The router is affected if the installed firmware version is less than 2.3.2.32 (for example, 2.3.2.28, 2.3.1.40, etc.).
The device is affected if the installed NETGEAR XR500 firmware version is numerically lower than 2.3.2.32.
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. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the device's management interface using firewall rules or network segmentation.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-21118 — 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-2018-21118 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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