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R6700 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2020-15634

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-08-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.4.98 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
This vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of NETGEAR R6700 routers with firmware 1.0.4.84_10.0.58. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of string table file uploads. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied string before using it as a format specifier. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the web server. Was ZDI-CAN-9755.

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

Format string vulnerability in NETGEAR R6700 router firmware (1.0.4.84_10.0.58) allows network-adjacent unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code via improper validation of user-supplied strings in string table file uploads. The lack of input sanitization before using the string as a format specifier enables code execution in the web server context.

MitigationApply NETGEAR firmware update when available; until then, restrict network access to the router's management interface and disable UPnP/open ports to limit adjacent attack surface.

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
R6700 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.4.98

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

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. Confirm device is NETGEAR R6700
    Access the router web interface (typically at 192.168.1.1) and navigate to Administration > Router Status or check the device label. Alternatively, inspect DHCP lease tables or use network discovery tools to identify the device model.
    Affected if The device is a NETGEAR R6700 router.
  2. Check installed firmware version
    In the router web interface, go to Administration > Router Status and locate the Firmware Version field. Compare the version number to the affected range: any version below 1.0.4.98 is vulnerable.
    Affected if Firmware version is less than 1.0.4.98.
  3. Verify web management interface is accessible
    Attempt to access the router's HTTP/HTTPS management interface from the network. Check if ports 80 or 443 are open and responding.
    Affected if The web interface is reachable from the network (even from LAN).
  4. Determine if string table upload feature is accessible
    In the router web interface, look for options related to string table, language files, or custom string uploads. This is typically found under Administration > USB Storage or advanced wireless settings if external storage is connected. The vulnerability occurs when an attacker uploads a specially crafted string table file.
    Affected if A string table or custom string upload feature is present and accessible.

A NETGEAR R6700 with firmware version below 1.0.4.98 that has its web management interface and string table upload feature accessible is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution via format string injection.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.0.4.98 or later
Fixed in 1.0.4.98
Interim mitigation

Apply NETGEAR firmware update when available; until then, restrict network access to the router's management interface and disable UPnP/open ports to limit adjacent attack surface.

Fix this in R6700 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,200
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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-2020-15634 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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