CVE-2021-27275
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 disclose sensitive information and delete arbitrary files 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 ConfigFileController class. When parsing the realName parameter, the process does not properly validate a user-supplied path prior to using it in file operations. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to disclose sensitive information or to create a denial-of-service condition on the system. Was ZDI-CAN-12125.
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 confidencePath traversal vulnerability in NETGEAR ProSAFE NMS 1.6.0.26's ConfigFileController class. The realName parameter is not validated before file operations, allowing authenticated attackers (with bypassed auth) to traverse paths and read/disclose sensitive files or delete arbitrary files on the 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
- Low
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/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 Netgear ProSAFE NMS installationLocate the NMS installation directory or check running services for Netgear ProSAFE Network Management System. Common locations include C:\Program Files\Netgear\ or /opt/netgear/ on Linux systems.Affected if Netgear ProSAFE NMS software is found running or installed on the system
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Verify the exact version numberCheck the installed version of Netgear ProSAFE Network Management System. Look for version information in the application itself, installation logs, or product documentation.Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.6.0.26 (this is the only affected version)
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Confirm web interface exposureCheck if the NMS web management interface (typically on ports 8080, 8443, or 443) is accessible from the network. Review firewall rules and network configuration.Affected if The web management interface is exposed and reachable over the network
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Inspect ConfigFileController accessibilityAttempt to access the ConfigFileController endpoint (typically at /config or similar path under the web application's context) to determine if the vulnerable class is exposed.Affected if The ConfigFileController endpoint responds to requests and accepts the realName parameter
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Check authentication mechanismReview authentication configuration and test for the authentication bypass condition that allows unauthenticated access to the ConfigFileController.Affected if Authentication can be bypassed or the endpoint is accessible without valid credentials
A system is affected if Netgear ProSAFE NMS version 1.6.0.26 is installed with its web interface accessible and the ConfigFileController accepts the realName parameter without proper path validation.
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 dataImplement strict input validation on the realName parameter to ensure path traversal sequences are blocked and the path resolves to an expected directory. Also address the authentication bypass mechanism.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-27275 — 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-2021-27275 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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