CVE-2019-20718 in D6220
Summary
by MITRE
Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by command injection by an authenticated user. This affects D6220 before 1.0.0.48, D6400 before 1.0.0.82, D7000v2 before 1.0.0.52, D8500 before 1.0.3.43, R6250 before 1.0.4.34, R6400 before 1.0.1.44, R6400v2 before 1.0.2.62, R7100LG before 1.0.0.48, R7300DST before 1.0.0.68, R7900 before 1.0.3.8, R7900P before 1.4.1.30, R8000 before 1.0.4.28, R8000P before 1.4.1.30, R8300 before 1.0.2.128, and R8500 before 1.0.2.128.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical command injection flaw affecting multiple NETGEAR router models that has significant implications for network security and device integrity. The issue stems from insufficient input validation within the web management interface of affected devices, allowing authenticated users to inject arbitrary commands that execute with elevated privileges. This vulnerability falls under CWE-77 which specifically addresses command injection flaws where user-supplied data is improperly incorporated into system commands without adequate sanitization or escaping mechanisms. The affected devices operate with default administrative credentials that are often left unchanged by users, creating an attack surface that can be exploited by threat actors who gain initial access through legitimate administrative accounts.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the web-based administration interface where authenticated users can manipulate input fields to inject malicious command sequences. When the device processes these inputs without proper validation, it executes the injected commands within the context of the device's operating system, potentially allowing full system compromise. The vulnerability affects a broad range of NETGEAR routers including popular models like the R7900, R8000, and various D-series devices, indicating a widespread issue that impacts both consumer and small business networks. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain persistent access to network infrastructure, potentially redirecting traffic, installing malware, or using the compromised devices as launching points for further attacks against connected networks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass complete network infrastructure compromise. Once exploited, attackers can modify router configurations, redirect DNS traffic, establish backdoors, or use the compromised devices for botnet activities such as distributed denial-of-service attacks. This vulnerability particularly threatens enterprise networks where these routers serve as critical gateways, as it allows attackers to manipulate network traffic flows and potentially access internal systems that would otherwise be protected by network segmentation. The attack surface is further expanded due to the widespread deployment of these affected devices in residential and small business environments where security monitoring is often minimal, making detection and remediation challenging.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from NETGEAR to address the command injection flaw, though organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential exploitation. The remediation process involves updating all affected device models to their latest firmware versions that contain proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as disabling unnecessary administrative interfaces, enforcing strong authentication mechanisms, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious command execution patterns. From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1021.001 for remote services, demonstrating how authenticated access can be leveraged to achieve persistent network compromise. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potentially affected devices within their network infrastructure and establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized administrative access attempts.