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Rax200 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2021-45542

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.4.120 / 3.2.17.12 or later.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 authenticated user. This affects RAX200 before 1.0.4.120, RAX75 before 1.0.4.120, RAX80 before 1.0.4.120, RBK852 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

Command injection vulnerability in NETGEAR router firmware (RAX200, RAX75, RAX80, RBK852, RBR850, RBS850) allowing authenticated users to execute arbitrary OS commands through insufficient input validation in the web management interface.

MitigationUpdate firmware to version 1.0.4.120 or later for RAX series routers, and version 3.2.17.12 or later for RBK/RBR/RBS mesh systems. Restrict administrative access to trusted users to minimize attack surface.

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
Rax200 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.4.120
Rax75 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.4.120
Rax80 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.4.120
Rbk852 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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/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 router model
    Locate the model number on the device label or check via the web management interface (typically at 192.168.1.1) under the status or firmware page
    Affected if Model is RAX200, RAX75, RAX80, RBK852, RBR850, or RBS850
  2. Check installed firmware version on RAX series
    In the web management interface, go to Advanced > Administration > Firmware Update or check the status/dashboard page for the current firmware version number
    Affected if Firmware version is below 1.0.4.120 on RAX200, RAX75, or RAX80
  3. Check installed firmware version on RBK/RBR/RBS series
    In the web management interface, go to Advanced > Administration > Firmware Update or check the status/dashboard page for the current firmware version number
    Affected if Firmware version is below 3.2.17.12 on RBK852, RBR850, or RBS850
  4. Confirm web management interface is enabled
    Check router settings under Advanced > Administration > Remote Management to see if the web management interface is accessible (this is where the vulnerable input validation occurs)
    Affected if Web management interface is enabled and accessible to authenticated users

You are affected if you own an RAX200/75/80 with firmware below 1.0.4.120, or an RBK852/RBR850/RBS850 with firmware below 3.2.17.12, and the web management interface is accessible to authenticated users.

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 1.0.4.120 / 3.2.17.12 or later
Fixed in 1.0.4.1203.2.17.12
Interim mitigation

Update firmware to version 1.0.4.120 or later for RAX series routers, and version 3.2.17.12 or later for RBK/RBR/RBS mesh systems. Restrict administrative access to trusted users to minimize attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

RAX200/RAX75/RAX80: firmware 1.0.4.120 or later; RBK852/RBR850/RBS850: firmware 3.2.17.12 or later

  1. Identify your specific NETGEAR device model (RAX200, RAX75, RAX80, RBK852, RBR850, or RBS850)
  2. Navigate to the NETGEAR support website or kb.netgear.com
  3. Download the appropriate firmware version for your device: For RAX200/RAX75/RAX80, download version 1.0.4.120 or later; For RBK852/RBR850/RBS850, download version 3.2.17.12 or later
  4. Access your router's web management interface using admin credentials
  5. Locate the firmware update section (typically under Administration > Firmware Update)
  6. Upload and apply the downloaded firmware file
  7. Wait for the update process to complete and the device to reboot
  8. Verify the firmware version has been updated to the fixed release

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

Fix this in Rax200 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2021-45542 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