CVE-2019-20727 in D6100
Summary
by MITRE
Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by command injection by an authenticated user. This affects D6100 before 1.0.0.63, R7800 before 1.0.2.52, R8900 before 1.0.4.2, R9000 before 1.0.4.2, WNDR3700v4 before 1.0.2.102, WNDR4300v1 before 1.0.2.104, WNDR4300v2 before 1.0.0.58, WNDR4500v3 before 1.0.0.58, WNR2000v5 before 1.0.0.68, and XR500 before 2.3.2.32.
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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 allows authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands on the affected devices. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the web interface of these networking appliances, creating a pathway for malicious actors who have gained legitimate access to escalate their privileges and execute system-level commands. The affected devices span several popular router series including the D6100, R7800, R8900, R9000, WNDR3700v4, WNDR4300v1, WNDR4300v2, WNDR4500v3, WNR2000v5, and XR500 models, all of which share a common implementation flaw in their web management interfaces.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of input parameters within the device's web administration interface. When an authenticated user submits maliciously crafted input to specific parameters, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the data before processing it, allowing command injection attacks to succeed. This flaw falls under the CWE-77 category of Command Injection, which is classified as a high-severity vulnerability in the Common Weakness Enumeration database. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authentication to the device's web interface, meaning that anyone with legitimate access credentials can potentially exploit this flaw to gain complete control over the device's operating system and execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the web server process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to compromise the entire network infrastructure controlled by the affected routers. Once exploited, an attacker can modify router configurations, redirect network traffic, install malicious firmware, or use the compromised device as a pivot point to attack other systems within the local network. This represents a significant risk for enterprise and residential networks where these devices serve as the primary gateway to the internet, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent backdoors, monitor network traffic, or disrupt network services. The vulnerability affects firmware versions released prior to the specified patches, meaning that organizations with older firmware installations remain at risk even if they have properly configured their network security measures.
Organizations should immediately implement firmware updates provided by NETGEAR to address this vulnerability, as the vendor has released patches specifically targeting the command injection flaw in the affected device models. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as network segmentation, monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns, and limiting administrative access to only essential personnel. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date firmware across all network infrastructure devices and highlights the need for regular security assessments of network components. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 Impairing Defenses, as it allows adversaries to execute commands and potentially disable security controls. Organizations should also consider implementing network access controls and monitoring for unauthorized administrative access attempts, as the vulnerability requires only valid credentials to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where access controls are not properly enforced.