CVE-2018-21204
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 unauthenticated attacker. This affects D7800 before 1.0.1.30, R6100 before 1.0.1.20, R7500 before 1.0.0.118, R7500v2 before 1.0.3.24, R7800 before 1.0.2.40, R9000 before 1.0.2.52, WNDR3700v4 before 1.0.2.96, WNDR4300 before 1.0.2.98, WNDR4300v2 before 1.0.0.50, and WNDR4500v3 before 1.0.0.50.
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 confidenceMultiple NETGEAR router models contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that can be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker, potentially allowing remote code execution or device compromise.
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< 1.0.1.30< 1.0.1.20< 1.0.0.118< 1.0.3.24< 1.0.2.40< 1.0.2.52< 1.0.2.96< 1.0.2.98< 1.0.0.50< 1.0.0.50CVSS 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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Identify router modelLocate the model number on the router device label or access the router web admin interface (typically at 192.168.1.1) and check the status or device info pageAffected if Router is one of: D7800, R6100, R7500, R7500v2, R7800, R9000, WNDR3700v4, WNDR4300, WNDR4300v2, or WNDR4500v3
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Locate firmware versionIn the router web admin interface, navigate to Administration > Firmware Update or Advanced > Administration > Router Update to view the current firmware versionAffected if Firmware version cannot be determined or is not displayed
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Compare D7800 versionIf model is D7800, compare installed firmware version against 1.0.1.30Affected if Installed version is lower than 1.0.1.30
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Compare R6100 versionIf model is R6100, compare installed firmware version against 1.0.1.20Affected if Installed version is lower than 1.0.1.20
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Compare R7500 versionsIf model is R7500, compare against both 1.0.0.118 and 1.0.3.24 (two separate version branches)Affected if Installed version is lower than 1.0.0.118 OR lower than 1.0.3.24 (whichever branch is applicable)
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Compare R7800, R9000, WNDR3700v4, WNDR4500v3 versionsFor R7800 compare against 1.0.2.40; for R9000 against 1.0.2.52; for WNDR3700v4 against 1.0.2.96; for WNDR4500v3 against 1.0.0.50Affected if Installed version is lower than the respective threshold for each model
Device is affected if it is one of the listed NETGEAR models running firmware version lower than the specified 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 data1.0.0.501.0.0.1181.0.1.20
Update affected router firmware to the specified versions: D7800 to 1.0.1.30, R6100 to 1.0.1.20, R7500 to 1.0.0.118, R7500v2 to 1.0.3.24, R7800 to 1.0.2.40, R9000 to 1.0.2.52, WNDR3700v4 to 1.0.2.96, WNDR4300 to 1.0.2.98, WNDR4300v2 to 1.0.0.50, and WNDR4500v3 to 1.0.0.50.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-21204 — 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-2018-21204 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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