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Rtl8156 FirmwareOperating system · Realtek

CVE-2022-21742

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-06-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.50 or later.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Realtek USB driver has a buffer overflow vulnerability due to insufficient parameter length verification in the API function. An unauthenticated LAN attacker can exploit this vulnerability to disrupt services.

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 · moderate confidence

Realtek USB driver contains a buffer overflow vulnerability due to insufficient parameter length validation in an API function. An unauthenticated attacker on the local network can exploit this to disrupt services via the overflow.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or updated Realtek USB driver that implements proper parameter length verification in the affected API function.

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
Rtl8156 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 7.42, <= 7.53>= 8.49, <= 8.60>= 10.28, < 10.50
Rtl8156b FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 7.42, <= 7.53>= 8.49, <= 8.60>= 10.28, < 10.50
Rtl8153 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 7.42, <= 7.53>= 8.49, <= 8.60>= 10.28, < 10.50
Rtl8153b FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 7.42, <= 7.53>= 8.49, <= 8.60>= 10.28, < 10.50
Rtl8154 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 7.42, <= 7.53>= 8.49, <= 8.60>= 10.28, < 10.50
Rtl8154b FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 7.42, <= 7.53>= 8.49, <= 8.60>= 10.28, < 10.50
Rtl8152b FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 7.42, <= 7.53>= 8.49, <= 8.60>= 10.28, < 10.50

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify connected Realtek USB network adapters
    Run 'lsusb' on Linux or check Device Manager on Windows for USB devices with vendor ID 0x0bda (Realtek) and product IDs corresponding to RTL8152/8153/8154/8156 chipsets
    Affected if A Realtek USB Ethernet adapter with chipset RTL8152b, RTL8153, RTL8153b, RTL8154, RTL8154b, RTL8156, or RTL8156b is connected
  2. Retrieve USB adapter firmware version
    On Linux, use 'lsusb -v' or check '/sys/bus/usb/devices/*/version'; on Windows, check the driver properties in Device Manager under the USB Network Adapter
    Affected if The firmware version matches any of these ranges: 7.42-7.53, 8.49-8.60, or 10.28-10.49
  3. Confirm network exposure of the adapter
    Check if the USB adapter is configured with an IP address on a local network accessible to unauthenticated attackers. Use 'ip addr show' (Linux) or 'ipconfig' (Windows) to list active network interfaces
    Affected if The affected adapter has an active network interface on a local network where untrusted devices or users can communicate with it

A user is affected if they have a Realtek USB Ethernet adapter (RTL8152b/8153/8153b/8154/8154b/8156/8156b) with firmware version 7.42-7.53, 8.49-8.60, or 10.28-10.49 connected and configured on a network

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 10.50 or later
Fixed in 10.50
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or updated Realtek USB driver that implements proper parameter length verification in the affected API function.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Firmware version 10.50 or later for the affected RTL815x chip families

  1. Identify the exact firmware version of the affected Realtek network adapter using the device management interface or system utilities.
  2. Navigate to the official Realtek or device manufacturer support website to obtain the firmware update.
  3. Download the firmware version 10.50 or later (as the last affected range ends at <10.50), ensuring it matches your specific chip model (Rtl8156, Rtl8156b, Rtl8153, Rtl8153b, Rtl8154, Rtl8154b, or Rtl8152b).
  4. Follow the manufacturer's firmware flashing instructions, typically involving a reboot and the use of a firmware update utility or web-based management interface.
  5. After updating, verify the firmware version has been successfully changed to a version >= 10.50.
  6. Restart the device to ensure the new firmware is fully initialized.
Caveat Review device-specific release notes for any configuration changes required after firmware update

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

Fix this in Rtl8156 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,160
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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-2022-21742 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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