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D6220 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2021-38516

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.0.40 / 1.0.0.48 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by lack of access control at the function level. This affects D6220 before 1.0.0.48, D6400 before 1.0.0.82, D7000v2 before 1.0.0.52, D7800 before 1.0.1.44, D8500 before 1.0.3.43, DC112A before 1.0.0.40, DGN2200v4 before 1.0.0.108, RBK50 before 2.3.0.32, RBR50 before 2.3.0.32, RBS50 before 2.3.0.32, RBK20 before 2.3.0.28, RBR20 before 2.3.0.28, RBS20 before 2.3.0.28, RBK40 before 2.3.0.28, RBR40 before 2.3.0.28, RBS40 before 2.3.0.28, R6020 before 1.0.0.34, R6080 before 1.0.0.34, R6120 before 1.0.0.44, R6220 before 1.1.0.80, R6230 before 1.1.0.80, R6250 before 1.0.4.34, R6260 before 1.1.0.40, R6850 before 1.1.0.40, R6350 before 1.1.0.40, R6400v2 before 1.0.2.62, R6700v3 before 1.0.2.62, R6700v2 before 1.2.0.36, R6800 before 1.2.0.36, R6900v2 before 1.2.0.36, R7000 before 1.0.9.34, R6900P before 1.3.1.44, R7000P before 1.3.1.44, R7100LG before 1.0.0.48, R7200 before 1.2.0.48, R7350 before 1.2.0.48, R7400 before 1.2.0.48, R7450 before 1.2.0.36, AC2100 before 1.2.0.36, AC2400 before 1.2.0.36, AC2600 before 1.2.0.36, R7500v2 before 1.0.3.38, R7800 before 1.0.2.58, R7900 before 1.0.3.8, R7960P before 1.4.1.44, R8000 before 1.0.4.28, R7900P before 1.4.1.30, R8000P before 1.4.1.30, R8900 before 1.0.4.2, R9000 before 1.0.4.2, RAX120 before 1.0.0.74, RBK752 before 3.2.16.6, RBR750 before 3.2.16.6, RBS750 before 3.2.16.6, RBK852 before 3.2.16.6, RBR850 before 3.2.16.6, RBS850 before 3.2.16.6, WNR3500Lv2 before 1.2.0.56, XR450 before 2.3.2.32, and XR500 before 2.3.2.32.

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

This is a broken access control vulnerability in multiple NETGEAR router firmware versions where certain privileged functions lack proper authentication or authorization checks. An unauthenticated attacker can directly access sensitive administrative functions without valid credentials, potentially leading to full device compromise.

MitigationUpdate affected NETGEAR devices to the patched firmware versions specified in the vendor advisory. If updates are unavailable, restrict network access to management interfaces and disable remote administration.

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
D6220 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.0.48
D6400 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.0.82
D7000 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.0.52
D7800 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.1.44
D8500 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.3.43
Dc112a FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.0.40
Dgn2200 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.0.108
Rbk50 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.3.0.32

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the NETGEAR router model
    Locate the device model number on the router label or check the admin interface System or Maintenance section for the exact model designation
    Affected if The device model is D6220, D6400, D7000, D7800, D8500, DC112A, DGN2200, or RBK50
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    Access the router admin web interface, navigate to Administration > Firmware Update or a similar System/Management section, and note the current firmware version displayed
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is below the threshold for your model (D6220: 1.0.0.48, D6400: 1.0.0.82, D7000: 1.0.0.52, D7800: 1.0.1.44, D8500: 1.0.3.43, DC112A: 1.0.0.40, DGN2200: 1.0.0.108, RBK50: 2.3.0.32)
  3. Confirm network accessibility of management interface
    Attempt to access the router admin web interface from an untrusted network segment or verify that remote administration is enabled in the router settings under Administration > Remote Management
    Affected if The admin interface is reachable from an untrusted network or remote administration is enabled and the firmware version is below the patched threshold

You are affected if your NETGEAR router model matches one of the eight affected models AND the installed firmware version is lower than the specified threshold for that model.

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 1.0.0.40 / 1.0.0.48 / 1.0.0.52 or later
Fixed in 1.0.0.401.0.0.481.0.0.52
Interim mitigation

Update affected NETGEAR devices to the patched firmware versions specified in the vendor advisory. If updates are unavailable, restrict network access to management interfaces and disable remote administration.

Recommended fix High confidence

Device-specific minimum fixed firmware versions (e.g., D6220: 1.0.0.48, D6400: 1.0.0.82, D7000: 1.0.0.52, D7800: 1.0.1.44, D8500: 1.0.3.43, DC112A: 1.0.0.40, DGN2200: 1.0.0.108, RBK50: 2.3.0.32)

  1. Identify your specific NETGEAR device model from the affected list
  2. Navigate to the NETGEAR support website (kb.netgear.com) or use the NETGEAR Nighthawk/Orbi app
  3. Locate the firmware download section for your device model
  4. Download the firmware version equal to or newer than the fixed version specified in the advisory (e.g., D6220: 1.0.0.48, D6400: 1.0.0.82, D7000: 1.0.0.52, D7800: 1.0.1.44, D8500: 1.0.3.43, DC112A: 1.0.0.40, DGN2200: 1.0.0.108, RBK50: 2.3.0.32)
  5. Access your router's web management interface via browser (typically http://routerlogin.net or http://192.168.1.1)
  6. Navigate to Advanced > Administration > Firmware Update or similar path
  7. Upload and apply the downloaded firmware file
  8. Wait for the router to complete the firmware update and reboot
Caveat Firmware updates may temporarily disrupt network connectivity; avoid powering off during upgrade

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

Fix this in D6220 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,600
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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-2021-38516 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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