CVE-2018-21137
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 a hardcoded password. This affects D3600 before 1.0.0.76 and D6000 before 1.0.0.76.
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 confidenceCertain NETGEAR D3600 and D6000 routers contain a hardcoded password embedded in the firmware that can be used to gain unauthorized administrative access. This backdoor credentials vulnerability allows remote attackers to authenticate as admin without knowing the actual password, potentially giving them full control over the device settings and network traffic.
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< 1.0.0.76< 1.0.0.76CVSS 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.
-
Identify router modelLocate the model number on the device label or check the router admin interface status pageAffected if Model is NETGEAR D3600 or D6000
-
Access firmware version informationLog into the router web interface and navigate to the Administration or Router Status page to view the current firmware versionAffected if Unable to retrieve firmware version from the device
-
Compare firmware version to affected rangeCheck the displayed firmware version number against the affected rangeAffected if Firmware version is below 1.0.0.76 (e.g., 1.0.0.75, 1.0.0.70, etc.)
-
Verify firmware version formatConfirm the version follows the format shown (e.g., 1.0.0.x) and is not already a patched versionAffected if Version shows as 1.0.0.76 or higher - not affected; version shows as less than 1.0.0.76 - affected
The device is affected if it is a NETGEAR D3600 or D6000 router running firmware version lower than 1.0.0.76, as this version range contains the hardcoded backdoor credentials.
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 · scoped1.0.0.76
Update NETGEAR D3600 and D6000 firmware to version 1.0.0.76 or later to replace the affected firmware containing the hardcoded password. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict administrative interface access to trusted networks only and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.
D3600 and D6000 firmware 1.0.0.76
- 1. Visit the NETGEAR support website (kb.netgear.com) or NETGEAR's download center
- 2. Locate the D3600 and/or D6000 product pages
- 3. Download firmware version 1.0.0.76 or later for your specific model
- 4. Access the router's web management interface (typically at 192.168.1.1)
- 5. Navigate to the Administration > Router Update or Firmware Upgrade section
- 6. Upload the downloaded firmware file
- 7. Wait for the upgrade to complete and the router to reboot
- 8. Verify the firmware version has been updated successfully
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-21137 — 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-2018-21137 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data