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Rbr20 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2021-45594

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.7.3.22 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 RBS50Y before 2.7.3.22, RBR20 before 2.7.3.22, RBR40 before 2.7.3.22, RBR50 before 2.7.3.22, RBS20 before 2.7.3.22, RBS40 before 2.7.3.22, RBS50 before 2.7.3.22, RBK20 before 2.7.3.22, RBK40 before 2.7.3.22, and RBK50 before 2.7.3.22.

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

Authenticated command injection vulnerability in NETGEAR mesh WiFi device firmware. An authenticated user can inject arbitrary OS commands through unsanitized input in the web interface or API, potentially leading to complete device compromise.

MitigationUpgrade NETGEAR firmware to version 2.7.3.22 or later for all affected models (RBS50Y, RBR20, RBR40, RBR50, RBS20, SBS40, RBS50, RBK20, RBK40, RBK50). No workaround available; authentication requirement reduces but does not eliminate risk.

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
Rbr20 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.7.3.22
Rbr40 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.7.3.22
Rbr50 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.7.3.22
Rbs20 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.7.3.22
Rbs40 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.7.3.22
Rbs50 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.7.3.22
Rbk20 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.7.3.22
Rbk40 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.7.3.22

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 the NETGEAR mesh device model
    Access the router web interface (typically at 192.168.1.1) and navigate to Administration > Device Settings or check the product label on the device itself to confirm the exact model number (RBR20, RBR40, RBR50, RBS20, RBS40, RBS50, RBK20, or RBK40).
    Affected if The device model matches one of the following: RBR20, RBR40, RBR50, RBS20, RBS40, RBS50, RBK20, or RBK40.
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    Log into the router web interface and go to Administration > Firmware Update or Router Status page to view the current firmware version number.
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is earlier than 2.7.3.22.
  3. Confirm remote web management is accessible
    Verify that the web interface or API endpoints are reachable over the network. This may require checking if the admin web service is listening on the LAN interface or if remote management is enabled under Advanced > Administration > Remote Management.
    Affected if The web interface or API is accessible and the device runs a firmware version below 2.7.3.22.

The device is affected if it is any of the RBR/RBS/RBK series models (RBR20, RBR40, RBR50, RBS20, RBS40, RBS50, RBK20, RBK40) and its firmware version is lower than 2.7.3.22.

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 2.7.3.22 or later
Fixed in 2.7.3.22
Interim mitigation

Upgrade NETGEAR firmware to version 2.7.3.22 or later for all affected models (RBS50Y, RBR20, RBR40, RBR50, RBS20, SBS40, RBS50, RBK20, RBK40, RBK50). No workaround available; authentication requirement reduces but does not eliminate risk.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware version 2.7.3.22 or later for the specific Orbi model (RBR, RBS, RBK series)

  1. 1. Identify the exact model number of your NETGEAR Orbi mesh system (RBR20, RBR40, RBR50, RBS20, RBS40, RBS50, RBK20, RBK40, RBS50Y, RBK50, or RBS50Y)
  2. 2. Navigate to the NETGEAR support website (kb.netgear.com) or the downloads section for your specific product
  3. 3. Download the firmware version 2.7.3.22 or later for your model
  4. 4. Access your Orbi router's web interface using an authenticated admin account
  5. 5. Navigate to the Administration or Firmware Update section
  6. 6. Upload and apply the firmware update, allowing the device to reboot
Caveat Standard firmware update risks apply - ensure stable power during upgrade and do not interrupt the update process

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

Fix this in Rbr20 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-2021-45594 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