CVE-2017-5521
8.1 · HIGH Actively ExploitedOverview
CVE-2017-5521 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting netgear r6200_firmware. It was published on January 17, 2017 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH). This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild.
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
An issue was discovered on NETGEAR R8500, R8300, R7000, R6400, R7300, R7100LG, R6300v2, WNDR3400v3, WNR3500Lv2, R6250, R6700, R6900, and R8000 devices. They are prone to password disclosure via simple crafted requests to the web management server. The bug is exploitable remotely if the remote management option is set, and can also be exploited given access to the router over LAN or WLAN. When trying to access the web panel, a user is asked to authenticate; if the authentication is canceled and password recovery is not enabled, the user is redirected to a page that exposes a password recovery token. If a user supplies the correct token to the page /passwordrecovered.cgi?id=TOKEN (and password recovery is not enabled), they will receive the admin password for the router. If password recovery is set the exploit will fail, as it will ask the user for the recovery questions that were previously set when enabling that feature. This is persistent (even after disabling the recovery option, the
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from netgear. Update r6200_firmware to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2017-5521?
CVE-2017-5521 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting netgear r6200_firmware. It was published on January 17, 2017 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH). This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2017-5521?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2017-5521?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from netgear. Update r6200_firmware to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2017-5521?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2017-5521 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
Automated penetration testing that runs continuously, not just quarterly.
AI-driven PR review catches vulnerable dependencies before they ship.
Browser-based exploitation validates findings with real proof-of-concept.
Related HIGH CVEs from 2017
View all →An issue was discovered in St. Jude Medical Merlin@home, versions prior to Version 8.2.2 (RF models:
Unrestricted file upload vulnerability in the fileUnzip->unzip method in Dotclear before 2.10.3 allo
The Parental Control panel in Genexis devices with DRGOS before 1.14.1 allows remote authenticated u
An issue was discovered in EMC ScaleIO versions before 2.0.1.1. A low-privileged local attacker may
eClinicalWorks Population Health (CCMR) suffers from an SQL injection vulnerability in portalUserSer
eClinicalWorks Population Health (CCMR) suffers from a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabili
Microsoft Edge allows remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy via vectors involving the ab
Adobe Flash Player versions 24.0.0.186 and earlier have an exploitable memory corruption vulnerabili
Adobe Flash Player versions 24.0.0.186 and earlier have an exploitable memory corruption vulnerabili
Adobe Flash Player versions 24.0.0.186 and earlier have an exploitable heap overflow vulnerability w
Adobe Flash Player versions 24.0.0.186 and earlier have an exploitable memory corruption vulnerabili
Adobe Flash Player versions 24.0.0.186 and earlier have an exploitable memory corruption vulnerabili