dbcve.org
R6700 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2021-20174

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Netgear Nighthawk R6700 version 1.0.4.120 does not utilize secure communication methods to the web interface. By default, all communication to/from the device's web interface is sent via HTTP, which causes potentially sensitive information (such as usernames and passwords) to be transmitted in cleartext.

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

The Netgear Nighthawk R6700 router version 1.0.4.120 transmits all web interface traffic over unencrypted HTTP, allowing network eavesdroppers to intercept cleartext credentials including usernames and passwords during authentication.

MitigationEnable HTTPS in the router's administrative interface if available, or apply any available firmware update from Netgear that enables secure communication; alternatively, access the admin interface only over a VPN tunnel to protect credentials from cleartext exposure.

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:= 1.0.4.120

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
None
Availability
None

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

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 physical device label to confirm it is a Netgear Nighthawk R6700
    Affected if Router model is not R6700 - this CVE does not apply
  2. Check firmware version
    Navigate to the router admin interface (typically at 192.168.1.1), go to Administration > Firmware Update or Advanced > Administration > Router Update to view the current firmware version
    Affected if Firmware version is not exactly 1.0.4.120 - only this specific version is affected
  3. Verify HTTP is enabled for admin interface
    Check the router's Advanced > Administration > Web Site Management or similar setting to determine if HTTP (rather than HTTPS) is enabled for the local administration interface
    Affected if HTTP is disabled and only HTTPS is available for the admin interface - the cleartext exposure does not occur
  4. Confirm traffic is transmitted unencrypted
    Use a network sniffer (such as Wireshark) on the client machine or network segment to capture traffic while logging into the router admin interface; observe if the HTTP request contains plaintext username and password fields
    Affected if Login credentials are transmitted in cleartext over HTTP - the vulnerability is present and exploitable

You are affected if you have an R6700 router running firmware version 1.0.4.120 with HTTP enabled for the admin interface and you access the login page over HTTP rather than HTTPS.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Enable HTTPS in the router's administrative interface if available, or apply any available firmware update from Netgear that enables secure communication; alternatively, access the admin interface only over a VPN tunnel to protect credentials from cleartext exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

R6700 Firmware - latest version available from Netgear support (check support.netgear.com for version beyond 1.0.4.120)

  1. Check Netgear's support website (support.netgear.com) for the latest R6700 firmware version
  2. Download the latest firmware version available for the R6700
  3. Access the router's web interface at the default IP (typically 192.168.1.1)
  4. Navigate to the Administration or Advanced settings section
  5. Locate the firmware update option and upload the downloaded firmware file
  6. Wait for the firmware to upload and install - do not power off the router during this process
  7. After the update completes, verify that the web interface is accessible via HTTPS (look for HTTPS in the URL and a lock icon)
Caveat Firmware updates can sometimes reset configuration to defaults; back up current router settings before updating if possible

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

Fix this in R6700 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2021-20174 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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