CVE-2021-38526
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 · uneditedCertain NETGEAR devices are affected by a buffer overflow by an unauthenticated attacker. This affects RAX35 before 1.0.3.94, RAX38 before 1.0.3.94, and RAX40 before 1.0.3.94.
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 confidenceUnauthenticated remote buffer overflow vulnerability in the web management interface of NETGEAR RAX35, RAX38, and RAX40 routers. An attacker can exploit this to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service without authentication, likely through malformed HTTP requests to vulnerable form handlers.
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< 1.0.3.94< 1.0.3.94< 1.0.3.94CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 the router modelCheck the device label on the router or log into the admin interface and look for the model number (typically displayed on the main status page or at the top of the administration panel)Affected if The model is RAX35, RAX38, or RAX40 (other models are not affected by this CVE)
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Check the installed firmware versionIn the web admin interface, navigate to the Firmware Update or Administration section and locate the current firmware version displayed. Alternatively, some NETGEAR routers display the version on the login page or in the router status overviewAffected if The firmware version is below 1.0.3.94 (versions 1.0.3.94 and later are patched)
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Verify web management interface accessibilityAttempt to access the router web interface by entering the router IP address in a web browser (commonly http://192.168.1.1 or http://routerlogin.net). Confirm the interface loads and is reachableAffected if The web management interface is accessible (this is required for the vulnerability to be exploitable, though it is unauthenticated so no login is needed to trigger the flaw)
You are affected if you are running a RAX35, RAX38, or RAX40 router with firmware version earlier than 1.0.3.94 and the web management interface is reachable on your network.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.0.3.94
Upgrade NETGEAR router firmware to version 1.0.3.94 or later for the affected models (RAX35, RAX38, RAX40). If upgrading is not immediately possible, restrict administrative interface access to trusted networks or disable remote administration.
Firmware version 1.0.3.94 or later for RAX35, RAX38, and RAX40
- 1. Visit the NETGEAR support website at kb.netgear.com
- 2. Search for your router model (RAX35, RAX38, or RAX40)
- 3. Navigate to the Downloads/Firmware section
- 4. Download firmware version 1.0.3.94 or later
- 5. Access your router's web management interface
- 6. Navigate to the Advanced > Administration > Firmware Update section
- 7. Upload and install the downloaded firmware file
- 8. Wait for the router to reboot and verify the new firmware version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38526 — 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-2021-38526 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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