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Wac505 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2018-21133

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.17 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by a stack-based buffer overflow by an unauthenticated attacker. 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 · high confidence

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 wireless access points allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted network requests. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 5.0.0.17 and is exploitable over the network without authentication.

MitigationUpgrade NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 firmware to version 5.0.0.17 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to management interfaces using firewall rules or network segmentation.

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
Wac505 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 5.0.0.17
Wac510 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 5.0.0.17

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the device model
    Access the device web management interface or check the device label to confirm the model is WAC505 or WAC510
    Affected if The device is a NETGEAR WAC505 or WAC510 wireless access point
  2. Retrieve the current firmware version
    Log into the web management interface and navigate to the Administration or Maintenance section to view the firmware version. Alternatively, check via SNMP or the device status page.
    Affected if Unable to retrieve firmware version or version cannot be confirmed
  3. Compare firmware version against affected range
    Compare the installed firmware version to 5.0.0.17. Versions below 5.0.0.17 are affected.
    Affected if Firmware version is less than 5.0.0.17 (for example, 5.0.0.16, 4.x.x.x, etc.)
  4. Verify management interface exposure
    Determine if the device management interface (HTTP/HTTPS on ports 80/443 or admin ports) is reachable from untrusted networks or the public internet. Check firewall rules and network accessibility.
    Affected if The management interface is exposed to unauthenticated network attackers (e.g., directly internet-facing)

The environment is affected if a NETGEAR WAC505 or WAC510 device is running firmware version prior to 5.0.0.17 and has its management interface accessible over the network.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.0.0.17 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.17
Interim mitigation

Upgrade NETGEAR WAC505 and WAC510 firmware to version 5.0.0.17 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to management interfaces using firewall rules or network segmentation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware version 5.0.0.17 for WAC505 and WAC510

  1. 1. Identify the exact NETGEAR device model (WAC505 or WAC510) that needs remediation
  2. 2. Access the device's web management interface via its IP address
  3. 3. Navigate to the Administration or Maintenance section to check the current firmware version
  4. 4. Download the firmware version 5.0.0.17 for your specific device model from the official NETGEAR support site (kb.netgear.com)
  5. 5. In the device's web interface, locate the firmware update/upload section
  6. 6. Upload the downloaded firmware file (.img or .bin)
  7. 7. Wait for the firmware upload to complete and for the device to reboot
  8. 8. Verify the firmware version has been updated to 5.0.0.17 or later after reboot
Caveat Standard firmware upgrade risk - ensure stable power during upload; device will temporarily be unavailable during the update process

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Wac505 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-21133 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data