Is CVE-2021-20172 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2021-20172 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2021-20172 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2021-20172 requires local access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-20172?

CVE-2021-20172 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH).

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-20172

HIGH

CVE-2021-20172

CWE-732Published: December 30, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

All known versions of the Netgear Genie Installer for macOS contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability. The installer of the macOS version of Netgear Genie handles certain files in an insecure way. A malicious actor who has local access to the endpoint on which the software is going to be installed may overwrite certain files to obtain privilege escalation to root.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-20172 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.8.