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Rbk852 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2021-29079

CRITICAL · 9.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-03-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.2.17.12 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by command injection by an unauthenticated attacker. This affects RBK852 before 3.2.17.12, RBK853 before 3.2.17.12, RBK854 before 3.2.17.12, RBR850 before 3.2.17.12, and RBS850 before 3.2.17.12.

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

NETGEAR Orbi mesh WiFi systems (RBK852, RBK853, RBK854, RBR850, RBS850) contain a command injection vulnerability allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands via specially crafted HTTP requests. The vulnerability exists in firmware versions prior to 3.2.17.12.

MitigationUpgrade NETGEAR Orbi firmware to version 3.2.17.12 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the management interfaces and monitor for suspicious activity.

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
Rbk852 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 3.2.17.12
Rbk853 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 3.2.17.12
Rbk854 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 3.2.17.12
Rbr850 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 3.2.17.12
Rbs850 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 3.2.17.12

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 the Orbi device model
    Log into the Orbi web interface or mobile app and locate the model number. Common locations: Administration > Device Info, or the product label on the device itself.
    Affected if The model is NOT one of: RBK852, RBK853, RBK854, RBR850, RBS850 (these are the affected models).
  2. Locate the firmware version in the web interface
    In the Orbi web interface, navigate to Administration > Firmware Update or Administration > Device Info. The current firmware version is displayed on this page.
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is a blank field or cannot be retrieved from the expected location.
  3. Compare installed firmware version to the vulnerable range
    Take the firmware version found in the previous step (for example, 3.2.16.10 or 3.2.14.18) and compare it numerically to 3.2.17.12.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is less than 3.2.17.12 (for example, 3.2.17.11, 3.2.16.10, 3.2.14.18, etc.). Versions prior to 3.2.17.12 are affected.
  4. Confirm the device is network accessible
    Verify that the Orbi router's web management interface is reachable over HTTP/HTTPS from the network. Attempt to access the router's IP address in a browser.
    Affected if The web interface is accessible. The command injection vulnerability is exploitable via specially crafted HTTP requests to the management interface.

You are affected if your Orbi device model is an RBK852, RBK853, RBK854, RBR850, or RBS850 and the installed firmware version is below 3.2.17.12, with the management interface network-accessible.

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 3.2.17.12 or later
Fixed in 3.2.17.12
Interim mitigation

Upgrade NETGEAR Orbi firmware to version 3.2.17.12 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the management interfaces and monitor for suspicious activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware 3.2.17.12 or later for Rbk852/Rbk853/Rbk854/Rbr850/Rbs850

  1. Identify the exact model number (RBK852, RBK853, RBK854, RBR850, or RBS850) of the NETGEAR Orbi device needing remediation
  2. Access the NETGEAR Orbi web interface or mobile app
  3. Navigate to Settings > Administration > Firmware Update (or similar path depending on UI version)
  4. Check the current firmware version under the firmware information section
  5. Download firmware version 3.2.17.12 or later from the official NETGEAR support site (kb.netgear.com) for the specific model
  6. Upload the firmware file through the web interface or use the NETGEAR Orbi app to apply the update
  7. Wait for the firmware update to complete and the device to reboot
  8. Verify the firmware version has been updated to 3.2.17.12 or later

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

Fix this in Rbk852 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2021-29079 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