CVE-2023-38100
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 · uneditedNETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System clearAlertByIds SQL Injection Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of NETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System. Although authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability, the existing authentication mechanism can be bypassed. The specific flaw exists within the clearAlertByIds function. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied string before using it to construct SQL queries. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges to resources normally protected from the user. Was ZDI-CAN-19724.
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 confidenceSQL injection vulnerability in the clearAlertByIds function of NETGEAR ProSAFE NMS allows manipulation of SQL queries through unsanitized user-supplied input. Combined with an authentication bypass, this enables remote attackers to escalate privileges to administrative levels and access normally protected resources.
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< 1.7.0.20CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed NETGEAR ProSAFE NMS versionAccess the web management interface and look for the version number in the About, Help, or System Information page. Alternatively, check any documentation or installation files where the version is recorded.Affected if The installed version is below 1.7.0.20
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Verify if the web management interface is network accessibleDetermine if the NMS web interface (typically on ports 80/443 or a custom port) is reachable from network locations. Check firewall rules and access control lists.Affected if The management interface is exposed to untrusted networks (internet-facing or accessible to non-admin users)
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Inspect web access logs for the clearAlertByIds endpointExamine the NMS web server logs for requests to endpoints containing 'clearAlertByIds' or similar SQL injection patterns (unusual SQL syntax in URL parameters).Affected if Suspicious requests containing SQL injection payloads are found targeting the clearAlertByIds function
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Check for unauthorized administrative account creationReview the NMS user database or admin panel for newly created administrative accounts or privilege escalations that were not authorized.Affected if Unexpected admin accounts exist or normal user accounts have been escalated to administrator privileges
You are affected if your NETGEAR ProSAFE NMS version is below 1.7.0.20 and the management interface is network-accessible to untrusted users.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.7.0.20
Apply vendor-provided security patch for NETGEAR ProSAFE NMS when available; until then, restrict network access to the management interface to trusted IPs only and consider deploying WAF rules to detect SQL injection patterns.
1.7.0.20
- 1. Download the ProSAFE Network Management System version 1.7.0.20 or later from the official NETGEAR support website (kb.netgear.com)
- 2. Back up the current system configuration and database according to NETGEAR backup procedures
- 3. Stop the ProSAFE NMS service if running
- 4. Install the updated ProSAFE NMS version 1.7.0.20 using the NETGEAR installation/upgradation procedure
- 5. Restart the ProSAFE NMS service
- 6. Verify the installation was successful by checking the version number in the system administration panel
- 7. Confirm the clearAlertByIds function is no longer vulnerable by verifying the patch is applied
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38100 — 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-2023-38100 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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- 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
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