CVE-2020-27872
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 · uneditedThis vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to bypass authentication on affected installations of NETGEAR R7450 1.2.0.62_1.0.1 routers. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the mini_httpd service, which listens on TCP port 80 by default. The issue results from improper state tracking in the password recovery process. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-11365.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in NETGEAR R7450 routers (firmware 1.2.0.62_1.0.1) allows network-adjacent attackers to bypass authentication by exploiting improper state tracking in the password recovery process of the mini_httpd service listening on TCP port 80. The flaw is exploitable without any authentication, and when chained with other vulnerabilities, can lead to code execution as root.
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< 1.2.0.76< 1.2.0.76< 1.2.0.76< 1.2.0.76< 1.2.0.76< 1.2.0.76< 1.2.0.76< 1.2.0.76CVSS 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 modelCheck the device label or web interface to confirm the exact model number (Ac2100, Ac2400, Ac2600, R6700, R6800, R6900, R7200, R7350, or R7450)Affected if Model is not in the list of affected products
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Check installed firmware versionLog into the router web interface and navigate to the Administration or Advanced settings section to view the current firmware version, or check via CLI if availableAffected if Firmware version is 1.2.0.62_1.0.1 (R7450) or any version below 1.2.0.76 (other models)
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Verify mini_httpd service is accessible on port 80From a network-adjacent host, attempt to reach the router at http://<router-ip>/ or run 'nc -zv <router-ip> 80' to test TCP connectivityAffected if Port 80 is open and responds to HTTP requests
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Confirm remote management exposureIn the router web interface, check the Administration > Remote Management settings to see if remote access is enabled; if your router is directly exposed to untrusted networks, this increases exposureAffected if Remote management is enabled or the router is accessible from an untrusted network segment
You are affected if you own one of the listed Netgear models and your firmware version is below 1.2.0.76 with the router's web interface (port 80) accessible from your 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 data1.2.0.76
Apply the vendor-supplied firmware update when available; in the interim, restrict network access to the router's management interface using network segmentation or firewall rules to limit exposure to adjacent network attackers.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27872 — 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-2020-27872 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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