CVE-2018-21173
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 stack-based buffer overflow by an authenticated user. This affects R7500 before 1.0.0.122, R7800 before 1.0.2.40, R9000 before 1.0.2.52, WNDR3700v4 before 1.0.2.92, WNDR4300 before 1.0.2.94, WNDR4300v2 before 1.0.0.50, WNDR4500v3 before 1.0.0.50, and WNR2000v5 before 1.0.0.62.
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 confidenceA stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in NETGEAR router firmware allows authenticated users to potentially execute arbitrary code by overflowing a stack-allocated buffer. This affects multiple router models including R7500, R7800, R9000, WNDR3700v4, WNDR4300, WNDR4300v2, WNDR4500v3, and WNR2000v5 across specific firmware versions.
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< 1.0.2.40< 1.0.2.52< 1.0.2.92< 1.0.2.94< 1.0.0.50< 1.0.0.122< 1.0.0.50< 1.0.0.62CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/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 router modelLocate the model number on the device label or check the web interface (typically at 192.168.1.1) under Router Status or Administration sectionAffected if The model is one of: R7500, R7800, R9000, WNDR3700v4, WNDR4300, WNDR4300v2, WNDR4500v3, or WNR2000v5
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Identify the installed firmware versionIn the router web interface, navigate to Router Status or Administration > Firmware Upgrade to view the current firmware version numberAffected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is not visible in the interface
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Compare R7800 version against affected rangeIf the router is an R7800, check if firmware version is lower than 1.0.2.40Affected if Firmware version < 1.0.2.40 on R7800
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Compare R9000 version against affected rangeIf the router is an R9000, check if firmware version is lower than 1.0.2.52Affected if Firmware version < 1.0.2.52 on R9000
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Compare WNDR4300 version against affected rangesIf the router is WNDR4300 or WNDR4300v2, check if firmware version is lower than 1.0.2.94 (for v1) or lower than 1.0.0.50 (for v2)Affected if Firmware version < 1.0.2.94 (WNDR4300) or < 1.0.0.50 (WNDR4300v2)
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Compare other model versions against affected rangesCheck firmware version: R7500 < 1.0.0.122, WNDR3700 < 1.0.2.92, WNDR4500 < 1.0.0.50, WNR2000 < 1.0.0.62Affected if Firmware version is below the specified threshold for the respective model
The device is affected if it matches one of the listed models AND its firmware version falls below the specified version threshold for that model.
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 data1.0.0.501.0.0.621.0.0.122
Apply vendor firmware updates to affected devices, upgrading to the specified version or later (R7500: 1.0.0.122, R7800: 1.0.2.40, R9000: 1.0.2.52, WNDR3700v4: 1.0.2.92, WNDR4300: 1.0.2.94, WNDR4300v2: 1.0.0.50, WNDR4500v3: 1.0.0.50, WNR2000v5: 1.0.0.62).
- 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-2018-21173 — 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-2018-21173 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
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