Netgear recently informed customers that it has released firmware updates for some of its routers and switches to address remote code execution and other types of vulnerabilities.
Netgear announced the launch of a bug bounty program in early January and the company has been regularly publishing security advisories and notifications over the past months. The firm has been offering between $150 and $15,000 for responsibly disclosed vulnerabilities, and it already claims to have rewarded more than 150 bug reports.
In the most recent advisories, Netgear informed users about the existence of CVE-2017-6862, a buffer overflow vulnerability that can be exploited by a remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary commands.
The flaw, discovered by Maxime Peterlin of ON-X, affects WNR2000v3, WNR2000v4, WNR2000v5 and R2000 routers. Firmware updates that patch the vulnerability are available for all impacted models.
Netgear said the weakness can only be exploited by an attacker with access to the network hosting the device, or if the router has the remote management feature enabled. This feature is disabled by default.
A different advisory describes a vulnerability affecting some of the company’s smart and managed switches. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to access a debugging URL from where they can execute arbitrary commands, including for resetting and rebooting the switch.
An attack can be launched remotely if the switch is remotely accessible, but Netgear believes most users have firewalls in place that should prevent exploitation.
The security hole affects nearly three dozen switches, including FS, GS, M, S and XS models. Firmware updates that patch the flaw are available for most of the impacted devices.
Another recent advisory warns users of a vulnerability affecting CM700 high speed cable modems. The bug does not pose any risk to data, but it can allow an attacker to disrupt a targeted user’s network connection. No workarounds or patches are available.
Related: Many NETGEAR Routers Leak Admin Passwords
Related: Unpatched Flaw Exposes Netgear Routers to Hacking
Related: Netgear Starts Patching Critical Router Flaw
Related: Serious Flaws Found in Netgear, NUUO Network Video Recorders
Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a contributing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.
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