CVE-2020-14438
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 command injection by an unauthenticated attacker. This affects RBK752 before 3.2.15.25, RBK753 before 3.2.15.25, RBK753S before 3.2.15.25, RBR750 before 3.2.15.25, RBS750 before 3.2.15.25, RBK842 before 3.2.15.25, RBR840 before 3.2.15.25, RBS840 before 3.2.15.25, RBK852 before 3.2.15.25, RBK853 before 3.2.15.25, RBR850 before 3.2.15.25, and RBS850 before 3.2.15.25.
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 confidenceCommand injection vulnerability in NETGEAR Orbi mesh WiFi systems (models RBK752, RBK753, RBR750, RBS750, RBK842, RBR840, RBS840, RBK852, RBK853, RBR850, RBS850) allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected devices via firmware versions prior to 3.2.15.25.
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< 3.2.15.25< 3.2.15.25< 3.2.15.25< 3.2.15.25< 3.2.15.25< 3.2.15.25< 3.2.15.25< 3.2.15.25CVSS 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 the Orbi model numberCheck the device label on the router or satellite unit, or log into the web admin interface and look for the model number on the dashboard or status pageAffected if The model is one of: RBK752, RBK753, RBR750, RBS750, RBK842, RBR840, RBS840, RBK852, RBR850, or RBS850 (or the listed Rbk753s variant)
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Check the firmware versionLog into the Orbi web admin interface, navigate to Administration or Advanced settings, and locate the firmware version displayed on the main page or in the firmware update sectionAffected if The displayed firmware version is below 3.2.15.25 (for example, 3.2.14.10 or any version less than 3.2.15.25)
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Verify the vulnerability is reachableDetermine if the Orbi management interface (HTTP/HTTPS on ports 80/443 or the admin web portal) is exposed to untrusted networks such as the public internet or guest WiFi segmentsAffected if The management interface is accessible from an untrusted network without VPN or firewall restrictions
You are affected if you have one of the listed Orbi models running firmware version 3.2.15.25 or lower, and the device management interface is reachable from an untrusted network.
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 data3.2.15.25
Apply NETGEAR firmware version 3.2.15.25 or later to all affected Orbi devices (router and satellite units). If patching is not possible, restrict network access to the management interfaces.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-14438 — 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-2020-14438 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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