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Prosafe Network Management SystemApplication · Netgear

CVE-2023-38101

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.7.0.20 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
NETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System SettingConfigController Exposed Dangerous Function Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code 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 SettingConfigController class. The issue results from an exposed dangerous function. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of SYSTEM. . Was ZDI-CAN-19725.

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

The SettingConfigController class in NETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System exposes a dangerous function that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. Although authentication is required to exploit the vulnerability, the authentication mechanism can be bypassed. Attackers can leverage this to execute code in the context of SYSTEM privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when available. Until then, restrict network access to the management interface and implement additional authentication controls at the network perimeter.

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
Prosafe Network Management SystemApplication
Affected:< 1.7.0.20

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed version of Netgear Prosafe NMS
    Locate the installation directory or check the application's about/help section for the version number. If installed on Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or the installation folder for version files. On Linux, check /opt or /usr/local directories for the NMS installation.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 1.7.0.20
  2. Confirm network accessibility of management interface
    Determine if the NMS web interface port (typically 8080, 8443, or similar) is listening on interfaces accessible from untrusted networks. Use 'netstat -an' or 'ss -tuln' to identify listening ports and their bound addresses.
    Affected if The management interface is exposed to the internet or untrusted internal networks
  3. Check for unauthorized access or compromise indicators
    Review NMS server logs, especially authentication and access logs, for suspicious requests to the SettingConfigController endpoint or unusual administrative actions. Also check for new or unexpected user accounts created in the system.
    Affected if Unexpected requests to administrative endpoints or new unauthorized administrator accounts exist in the system

Your environment is affected if the Netgear Prosafe NMS version is below 1.7.0.20 AND the management interface is network-accessible from untrusted locations.

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 1.7.0.20 or later
Fixed in 1.7.0.20
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch when available. Until then, restrict network access to the management interface and implement additional authentication controls at the network perimeter.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.7.0.20

  1. 1. Back up the current Prosafe Network Management System configuration and database
  2. 2. Download the Prosafe Network Management System version 1.7.0.20 or later from the official NETGEAR support site (kb.netgear.com)
  3. 3. Stop the Prosafe NMIS service before applying the update
  4. 4. Install version 1.7.0.20 using the vendor's standard installation procedure
  5. 5. Verify the installation completed successfully
  6. 6. Restart the Prosafe NMIS service
  7. 7. Confirm the SettingConfigController vulnerability is resolved by verifying the system is operational and accessible
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes before upgrading; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Prosafe Network Management System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.

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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-2023-38101 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