CVE-2023-38921
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 WG302v2 v5.2.9 and WAG302v2 v5.1.19 were discovered to contain multiple command injection vulnerabilities in the upgrade_handler function via the firmwareRestore and firmwareServerip parameters.
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 confidenceCommand injection vulnerability in Netgear WG302v2 and WAG302v2 wireless access points. The upgrade_handler function fails to sanitize the firmwareRestore and firmwareServerip parameters, allowing remote attackers to inject arbitrary OS commands via crafted HTTP requests.
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= 5.2.9= 5.1.19CVSS 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 device modelAccess the device web management interface and check the device information or status page, or inspect the physical device label for model number WG302v2 or WAG302v2Affected if The device is a Netgear WG302v2 or WAG302v2 wireless access point
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Determine the firmware versionIn the web interface, navigate to Maintenance > Firmware Upgrade or Help > About to view the current firmware version. Note the exact version number displayedAffected if The firmware version is exactly 5.2.9 for WG302v2 or exactly 5.1.19 for WAG302v2
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Assess web management interface exposureReview network firewall rules and device configuration to determine if the HTTP/HTTPS management interface is accessible from outside trusted management networks. Check for any port forwarding rules or WAN access settingsAffected if The web management interface is exposed to untrusted or public network segments
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Examine device logs for indicatorsAccess the device logging or diagnostics section. Review logs for unusual entries, especially around firmware upgrade functionality or unexpected system commandsAffected if Logs contain suspicious HTTP requests to upgrade functions or unexpected command execution attempts
The environment is affected if a Netgear WG302v2 or WAG302v2 device is running the specific vulnerable firmware (5.2.9 or 5.1.19) and has its management interface accessible to untrusted networks.
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 dataSince these are legacy/end-of-life devices unlikely to receive vendor patches, replace with supported hardware. If immediate replacement isn't feasible, restrict management interface access to trusted networks only using firewall rules and disable WAN management access.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38921 — 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-2023-38921 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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