CVE-2021-27273
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 remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of NETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System 1.6.0.26. Although authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability, the existing authentication mechanism can be bypassed. The specific flaw exists within the SettingConfigController class. When parsing the fileName parameter, the process does not properly validate a user-supplied string before using it to execute a system call. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-12121.
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 ProSAFE NMS SettingConfigController class. The fileName parameter is not validated before being used in a system call, allowing authenticated attackers (or those bypassing auth) to execute arbitrary code as SYSTEM.
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= 1.6.0.26CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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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Confirm Netgear ProSAFE NMS installationLocate the NMS installation directory and identify the application binary or service. On Windows, check for 'NMS' or 'ProSAFE' in Program Files or as a Windows service.Affected if The software is present on the system
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Verify installed versionCheck the NMS version information through the application UI, about dialog, or version file in the installation directory. Compare against 1.6.0.26.Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.6.0.26
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Confirm SettingConfigController accessibilityIdentify if the web management interface is accessible by attempting to reach the NMS web portal. This vulnerability exists in the SettingConfigController class which handles configuration file operations.Affected if The NMS web interface is reachable and the SettingConfigController endpoint is exposed
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Check for SYSTEM-level processesReview running processes on the NMS server for unexpected executables or shells running under the SYSTEM account. Use task manager or process monitoring tools.Affected if Unknown SYSTEM-level processes are observed or command shells are spawned by the NMS service account
A user is affected if Netgear ProSAFE NMS version 1.6.0.26 is installed and the web-based SettingConfigController is accessible.
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 dataApply vendor patch/upgrade to latest version. Until patched, restrict network access to the NMS management interface and prevent direct internet exposure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-27273 — 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-2021-27273 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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