CVE-2021-45530 in R7000
Summary
by MITRE • 12/26/2021
Certain NETGEAR devices are affected by a buffer overflow by an authenticated user. This affects R7000 before 1.0.11.126, R7960P before 1.4.2.84, R8000 before 1.0.4.74, RAX200 before 1.0.4.120, R8000P before 1.4.2.84, RAX20 before 1.0.2.82, RAX45 before 1.0.2.82, RAX80 before 1.0.4.120, R7900P before 1.4.2.84, RAX15 before 1.0.2.82, RAX50 before 1.0.2.82, and RAX75 before 1.0.4.120.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-45530 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw affecting multiple NETGEAR router models that has significant implications for network security and device integrity. This vulnerability specifically targets authenticated users who can exploit the buffer overflow condition through legitimate administrative access to the affected devices, making it particularly dangerous as it leverages existing trust relationships within network infrastructure. The affected device families include various models from the R7000, R7960P, R8000, RAX200, R8000P, RAX20, RAX45, RAX80, R7900P, RAX15, RAX50, and RAX75 series, all of which share common firmware components that contain the exploitable buffer overflow condition.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the web interface or management protocols of these routers, where user-supplied data can exceed allocated buffer boundaries without proper bounds checking. This flaw operates under CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions as a fundamental security weakness in memory management, allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations and potentially execute arbitrary code. The authenticated nature of the exploit means that an attacker must first establish legitimate credentials to access the device management interface, but once achieved, they can leverage this vulnerability to gain deeper control over the device's operational functions. The vulnerability manifests when legitimate administrative commands or parameters are processed through the device's web server or application layer without sufficient sanitization, creating opportunities for malicious input to overwrite critical memory segments.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risks for network administrators and organizations relying on these devices for their network infrastructure. The buffer overflow could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code on the affected routers, potentially leading to complete device compromise, unauthorized network access, or the ability to redirect network traffic through maliciously configured routing policies. Network traffic interception, man-in-the-middle attacks, or the creation of backdoors within the network infrastructure becomes possible once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability. The impact extends beyond individual device compromise as these routers often serve as critical network gateways, making their exploitation a potential vector for broader network infiltration and data exfiltration activities. Organizations using these devices may experience service disruption, unauthorized access to internal network resources, and potential compliance violations if sensitive data passes through compromised gateway devices.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2021-45530 requires immediate firmware updates from NETGEAR addressing the buffer overflow conditions in the affected device models, with administrators prioritizing deployment of patches for all vulnerable systems. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit administrative access to only trusted personnel, reducing the attack surface for authenticated exploitation. Regular security audits of network infrastructure should include verification of firmware versions and implementation of monitoring for unusual administrative access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network intrusion detection systems that can identify anomalous behavior patterns associated with buffer overflow exploitation attempts. Additionally, administrators should review and enforce strong authentication practices including multi-factor authentication for administrative access to these devices, as the vulnerability requires legitimate credentials to exploit, making credential security a critical defensive measure. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation and execution techniques, where authenticated access provides a foothold for more sophisticated attacks that could lead to complete network compromise through lateral movement and persistence mechanisms.