HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-45608
CRITICAL

CVE-2021-45608

CWE-190Published: December 26, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Certain D-Link, Edimax, NETGEAR, TP-Link, Tenda, and Western Digital devices are affected by an integer overflow by an unauthenticated attacker. Remote code execution from the WAN interface (TCP port 20005) cannot be ruled out; however, exploitability was judged to be of "rather significant complexity" but not "impossible." The overflow is in SoftwareBus_dispatchNormalEPMsgOut in the KCodes NetUSB kernel module. Affected NETGEAR devices are D7800 before 1.0.1.68, R6400v2 before 1.0.4.122, and R6700v3 before 1.0.4.122.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-45608 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

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 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

netgear6 product(s)
d7800 firmwared7800r6400v2 firmwarer6400v2r6700v3 firmwarer6700v3
Source: NVD CPE · 6 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://kb.netgear.com/000064437/Security-Advisory-for-Pre-Authentication-Buffer-Overflow-on-Multiple-Products-PSV-2021-0278
PATCHhttps://www.sentinelone.com/labs/cve-2021-45608-netusb-rce-flaw-in-millions-of-end-user-routers/
PATCHhttps://kb.netgear.com/000064437/Security-Advisory-for-Pre-Authentication-Buffer-Overflow-on-Multiple-Products-PSV-2021-0278
PATCHhttps://www.sentinelone.com/labs/cve-2021-45608-netusb-rce-flaw-in-millions-of-end-user-routers/

All References (4)

→
https://kb.netgear.com/000064437/Security-Advisory-for-Pre-Authentication-Buffer-Overflow-on-Multiple-Products-PSV-2021-0278Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/cve-2021-45608-netusb-rce-flaw-in-millions-of-end-user-routers/Exploit · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://kb.netgear.com/000064437/Security-Advisory-for-Pre-Authentication-Buffer-Overflow-on-Multiple-Products-PSV-2021-0278Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/cve-2021-45608-netusb-rce-flaw-in-millions-of-end-user-routers/Exploit · Patch · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-45608
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-190
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 26, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-190)

CVE-2010-3254
10.0
CVE-2012-5143
10.0
CVE-2010-1233
10.0
CVE-2008-2663
10.0
CVE-2012-5835
10.0
CVE-2025-64721
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Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-45608 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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