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Cbr40 FirmwareOperating system · Netgear

CVE-2021-45617

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.0.48 / 1.0.0.72 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 command injection by an unauthenticated attacker. This affects CBR40 before 2.5.0.24, EAX20 before 1.0.0.48, EAX80 before 1.0.1.64, EX7500 before 1.0.0.72, R6400 before 1.0.1.68, R6900P before 1.3.2.132, R7000 before 1.0.11.116, R7000P before 1.3.2.132, R7900 before 1.0.4.38, R7960P before 1.4.1.66, R8000 before 1.0.4.66, RAX200 before 1.0.3.106, RS400 before 1.5.1.80, XR300 before 1.0.3.68, MK62 before 1.0.6.110, MR60 before 1.0.6.110, R6400v2 before 1.0.4.106, R8000P before 1.4.1.66, RAX20 before 1.0.2.64, RAX45 before 1.0.2.82, RAX80 before 1.0.3.106, MS60 before 1.0.6.110, R6700v3 before 1.0.4.106, R7900P before 1.4.1.66, RAX15 before 1.0.2.64, RAX50 before 1.0.2.82, RAX75 before 1.0.3.106, RBR750 before 3.2.16.22, RBR850 before 3.2.16.22, RBS750 before 3.2.16.22, RBS850 before 3.2.16.22, RBK752 before 3.2.16.22, and RBK852 before 3.2.16.22.

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

Unauthenticated command injection vulnerability in multiple NETGEAR router and mesh system firmware versions allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via unspecified vectors. The critical CVSS score reflects the combination of network accessibility, no authentication requirement, and complete system compromise potential.

MitigationApply available firmware updates to all affected NETGEAR devices as specified in the vendor advisory; if updates are unavailable, restrict network access to device management interfaces via VLAN segmentation or firewall rules.

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
Cbr40 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.5.0.24
Eax20 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.0.48
Eax80 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.1.64
Ex7500 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.0.72
R6400 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.1.68
R6900p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.3.2.132
R7000 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.11.116
R7000p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.3.2.132

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 device model
    Locate the device label on the router or mesh system physical casing, or log into the router web administration interface and check the device information or status page for the exact model name (e.g., CBR40, EAX20, EAX80, EX7500, R6400, R6900P, R7000, R7000P).
    Affected if The device model matches one of the affected models: Cbr40, Eax20, Eax80, Ex7500, R6400, R6900p, R7000, or R7000p.
  2. Determine the installed firmware version
    In the router web administration interface, navigate to the Administration or Advanced settings section and locate the firmware version field. Alternatively, if you have command-line access via telnet or SSH, run the 'ver' or 'fw_printenv' command to retrieve the firmware version.
    Affected if A firmware version is displayed and can be compared against the affected version thresholds.
  3. Compare firmware version against affected ranges
    Match your installed firmware version to the following thresholds: Cbr40 < 2.5.0.24, Eax20 < 1.0.0.48, Eax80 < 1.0.1.64, Ex7500 < 1.0.0.72, R6400 < 1.0.1.68, R6900p < 1.3.2.132, R7000 < 1.0.11.116, R7000p < 1.3.2.132. Use semantic version comparison (e.g., 1.0.0.40 is older than 1.0.0.48).
    Affected if Your installed firmware version is lower than the patched version threshold for your specific model.
  4. Verify network exposure of the management interface
    Confirm that the router management web interface (typically on ports 80/443 or 8080) is accessible from network segments beyond your trusted internal network, or is directly exposed to the internet.
    Affected if The router admin interface is reachable from untrusted networks without firewall restrictions, allowing unauthenticated attackers to reach the command injection vector.

You are affected if you own one of the listed Netgear models and your installed firmware version falls below the specified patched version, especially if the device management interface is network-accessible.

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 1.0.0.48 / 1.0.0.72 / 1.0.1.64 or later
Fixed in 1.0.0.481.0.0.721.0.1.64
Interim mitigation

Apply available firmware updates to all affected NETGEAR devices as specified in the vendor advisory; if updates are unavailable, restrict network access to device management interfaces via VLAN segmentation or firewall rules.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to firmware version >= 2.5.0.24 (CBR40), >= 1.0.0.48 (EAX20), >= 1.0.1.64 (EAX80), >= 1.0.0.72 (EX7500), >= 1.0.1.68 (R6400), >= 1.3.2.132 (R6900P/R7000P), >= 1.0.11.116 (R7000), or respective fixed versions for other affected models as listed in the CVE description

  1. 1. Identify the exact NETGEAR device model number (e.g., R7000, CBR40, etc.)
  2. 2. Access the router's web interface and navigate to the Administration or Settings section to check the current firmware version
  3. 3. Visit the official NETGEAR support page at kb.netgear.com and search for your specific model
  4. 4. Download the firmware update that matches or exceeds the fixed version for your device model
  5. 5. In the router's web interface, locate the Firmware Update section (typically under Administration > Firmware Update)
  6. 6. Upload the downloaded firmware file and wait for the update process to complete - do not power off the device during this process
  7. 7. After the router reboots, log back into the web interface and verify the firmware version has been updated
  8. 8. Consider factory resetting the router and reconfiguring from scratch if the upgrade does not resolve connectivity issues
Caveat Standard router firmware upgrades may require reconfiguration of custom settings; consider backing up configuration before upgrading

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

Fix this in Cbr40 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
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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-2021-45617 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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data