CVE-2018-21132
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 authentication bypass. This affects WAC505 before 5.0.0.17 and WAC510 before 5.0.0.17.
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 confidenceAuthentication bypass vulnerability in NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 wireless access points allows unauthenticated attackers to gain administrative access before firmware version 5.0.0.17.
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< 5.0.0.17< 5.0.0.17CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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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Identify the device modelAccess the web management interface of the wireless access point or check the physical device label to confirm the model is NETGEAR WAC505 or WAC510Affected if The device is not a WAC505 or WAC510 model - other models are not affected by this specific CVE
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Locate firmware version informationIn the web management interface, navigate to the Maintenance or System Settings section to view the current firmware version. Alternatively, access the device via CLI/SSH and run the command to display firmware version (typically 'show version' or 'get firmware-version')Affected if Unable to retrieve firmware version - version must be confirmed to proceed with detection
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Compare installed version against the affected rangeCompare the displayed firmware version to the vulnerable range: any version below 5.0.0.17 is affected. Versions 5.0.0.17 and later are not vulnerableAffected if Firmware version is below 5.0.0.17 - the device is vulnerable to unauthenticated administrative access
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Verify web management interface is exposedConfirm the device web management interface (HTTP/HTTPS on port 80/443) is accessible from network segments accessible to potential attackersAffected if Web interface is exposed to untrusted networks - combined with vulnerable firmware version, this creates the attack surface for exploitation
If the device is a NETGEAR WAC505 or WAC510 running firmware version 5.0.0.16 or earlier, it is affected by this authentication bypass 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.
dbcve · scoped5.0.0.17
Upgrade NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 devices to firmware version 5.0.0.17 or later to remediate the authentication bypass vulnerability.
WAC505/WAC510 Firmware 5.0.0.17
- Download firmware version 5.0.0.17 or later for your WAC505 or WAC510 from NETGEAR's official support website (kb.netgear.com)
- Access the NETGEAR WAC device web management interface
- Navigate to the firmware upgrade or maintenance section
- Upload and apply the downloaded firmware file
- Restart the device if required and verify the firmware version shows 5.0.0.17 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-21132 — 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-2018-21132 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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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