dbcve.org
Rtl8195am FirmwareOperating system · Realtek

CVE-2021-43573

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.0.10 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
A buffer overflow was discovered on Realtek RTL8195AM devices before 2.0.10. It exists in the client code when processing a malformed IE length of HT capability information in the Beacon and Association response frame.

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

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Realtek RTL8195AM WiFi client firmware before version 2.0.10. The vulnerability is in the client code that processes HT (High Throughput) capability Information Elements (IE) within Beacon and Association response frames. By sending a specially crafted malformed IE with an oversized length field, an unauthenticated attacker on the same WiFi network can trigger a buffer overflow, potentially leading to remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade the RTL8195AM device firmware to version 2.0.10 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, minimize exposure by avoiding connection to untrusted WiFi networks and implementing network segmentation.

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
Rtl8195am FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 2.0.10

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 RTL8195AM chipset usage
    Check your device documentation, hardware labels, or log output for 'RTL8195AM' or 'RTL8195' to confirm the WiFi module in use. Alternatively, access the device's web interface or serial console and look for WiFi module information.
    Affected if The device does not use a Realtek RTL8195AM chipset - the vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Determine installed firmware version
    Access the device's web management interface, administrative console, or use AT commands (e.g., AT+FWVER?) to query the firmware version. If available, check the device's system information page or release notes.
    Affected if Unable to determine the firmware version - assume potentially affected.
  3. Compare version against 2.0.10
    Compare the installed firmware version number to 2.0.10. Note that some systems display versions as '2.0.x' or with build numbers; treat any version below 2.0.10 (including 2.0.0 through 2.0.9) as affected.
    Affected if Firmware version is 2.0.10 or higher - the vulnerability has been patched.
  4. Verify WiFi client mode is enabled
    Check the device's WiFi configuration settings to determine if it is operating as a WiFi client (connecting to an external access point). This vulnerability exists only in the client code path, not in AP mode.
    Affected if The device is not configured as a WiFi client (e.g., operating only as an access point or in Ethernet-only mode) - the specific attack surface may be reduced.

The device is affected if it uses Realtek RTL8195AM firmware below version 2.0.10 and has WiFi client mode enabled, allowing it to connect to WiFi networks.

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 a release after 2.0.10
Interim mitigation

Upgrade the RTL8195AM device firmware to version 2.0.10 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, minimize exposure by avoiding connection to untrusted WiFi networks and implementing network segmentation.

Recommended fix High confidence

RTL8195AM Firmware version 2.0.10 or later

  1. Identify the current firmware version of the RTL8195AM device by checking the device settings or documentation
  2. Download firmware version 2.0.10 or later from the official Ameba IoT source at www.amebaiot.com
  3. Follow the standard firmware update procedure for RTL8195AM devices, typically involving uploading the firmware binary through the device's web interface or flashing tool
  4. Verify the firmware has been successfully updated and the device is functioning correctly
  5. Confirm the new firmware version is 2.0.10 or higher

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

Fix this in Rtl8195am Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-43573 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-43573 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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