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R6700 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2020-15636

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-08-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.4.98 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of NETGEAR R6400, R6700, R7000, R7850, R7900, R8000, RS400, and XR300 routers with firmware 1.0.4.84_10.0.58. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the check_ra service. A crafted raePolicyVersion in a RAE_Policy.json file can trigger an overflow of a fixed-length stack-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-9852.

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

Stack-based buffer overflow in the check_ra service allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code as root via a crafted raePolicyVersion value in a RAE_Policy.json file. The overflow occurs in a fixed-length buffer on affected NETGEAR router models (R6400, R6700, R7000, R7850, R7900, R8000, RS400, XR300) running firmware 1.0.4.84_10.0.58.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied firmware update to remediate this vulnerability. If no update is available, consider network segmentation to limit exposure or replace affected devices.

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify router model
    Log into the router web interface or check the device label to confirm the exact model number (R6400, R6700, R7000, R7850, R7900, R8000, RS400, or XR300)
    Affected if Model is one of the affected devices listed in the CVE
  2. Check installed firmware version
    Log into the router web interface, typically at 192.168.1.1, and navigate to the Administration or Firmware Update section to view the current firmware version
    Affected if Firmware version is 1.0.4.84_10.0.58, or for R6700 specifically any version less than 1.0.4.98, or the firmware version falls within the vulnerable range for the other listed models
  3. Verify check_ra service is accessible
    Attempt to access the check_ra service endpoint on the router from the local network (typically via HTTP/HTTPS to the router's IP address on port 80 or 443)
    Affected if The service responds to network requests from the local subnet
  4. Locate RAE_Policy.json configuration
    Access the router via SSH or check the /etc or /tmp directory on the router filesystem for a file named RAE_Policy.json
    Affected if The RAE_Policy.json file exists on the device and contains a raePolicyVersion field

You are affected if your router model matches one of the eight listed models AND your firmware version is within the vulnerable range (less than 1.0.4.98 for R6700, or the specific affected version 1.0.4.84_10.0.58 for other models).

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.0.4.98 or later
Fixed in 1.0.4.98
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied firmware update to remediate this vulnerability. If no update is available, consider network segmentation to limit exposure or replace affected devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware version 1.0.4.98 or later for R6400, R6700, R7000, R7850, R7900, R8000, RS400, XR300

  1. 1. Identify your exact NETGEAR router model (R6400, R6700, R7000, R7850, R7900, R8000, RS400, or XR300)
  2. 2. Navigate to the NETGEAR support website (downloadcenter.netgear.com) or use the NETGEAR Nighthawk app
  3. 3. Locate the firmware download section for your specific router model
  4. 4. Download the latest firmware version 1.0.4.98 or later
  5. 5. Access your router's web management interface (typically at routerlogin.net or 192.168.1.1)
  6. 6. Navigate to Advanced > Administration > Firmware Update
  7. 7. Select the downloaded firmware file and initiate the update
  8. 8. Wait for the router to complete the firmware flash and reboot
Caveat Standard firmware updates may reset some custom settings; backup configuration before upgrading if needed

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in R6700 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,580
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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-2020-15636 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