CVE-2022-38956
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 · uneditedAn exploitable firmware downgrade vulnerability was discovered on the Netgear WPN824EXT WiFi Range Extender. An attacker can conduct a MITM attack to replace the user-uploaded firmware image with an original old firmware image. This affects Firmware 1.1.1_1.1.9 and earlier.
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 confidenceA firmware downgrade vulnerability exists in the Netgear WPN824EXT WiFi Range Extender where an attacker performing a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack can intercept and replace a user-uploaded firmware image with an older, potentially vulnerable firmware version. This allows regression to known-vulnerable codebases. The issue affects firmware version 1.1.1_1.1.9 and earlier.
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<= 1.1.1_1.1.9CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device modelAccess the device web admin interface (typically at 192.168.1.250 or 192.168.0.250) and check the device model name, or locate the physical device labelAffected if Device model is Netgear WPN824EXT (also sold as WN2500RPv2 in some regions)
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Determine the installed firmware versionIn the device web admin interface, navigate to Settings > Status or About section and locate the Firmware Version field. This is typically displayed as a string like X.X.X_X.X.XAffected if The displayed firmware version is 1.1.1_1.1.9 or earlier (numerically lower)
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Compare version against the affected rangeParse the firmware version string. The affected range includes versions up to and including 1.1.1_1.1.9. Versions like 1.0.x_x.x.x, 1.1.0_1.1.x, and 1.1.1_1.1.8 would all be vulnerableAffected if The installed version number is numerically less than or equal to 1.1.1_1.1.9
The device is affected if it is a Netgear WPN824EXT/WN2500RPv2 with firmware version 1.1.1_1.1.9 or any earlier version.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataImplement cryptographic firmware signing and verification to prevent downgrade attacks, and ensure firmware updates can only proceed to versions newer than currently installed. Use secure transport channels for all firmware distribution.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-38956 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-38956 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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