# CVE-2021-34978: Memory corruption in R6260

> Network-adjacent attackers can execute arbitrary code as root on NETGEAR R6260 routers via a stack buffer overflow in setupwizard.cgi.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 Jan 2022
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4hvv-r2vp-wmj4

## What is CVE-2021-34978?

CVE-2021-34978 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Netgear R6260 Firmware, published on 13 Jan 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

This vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of NETGEAR R6260 1.1.0.78_1.0.1 routers. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the setupwizard.cgi page. A crafted SOAP request can trigger an overflow of a fixed-length stack-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-13511.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-34978?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Netgear R6260 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-34978?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-34978 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-34978 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-34978 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Netgear R6260 Firmware

- [CVE-2021-34979](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34979/): Memory corruption in R6260 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-34980](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34980/): Memory corruption in R6260 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2025-12942](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-12942/): Improper input validation in NETGEAR R6260 and R6850 (medium 4.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-34978 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-34978 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Netgear R6260 Firmware, published on 13 Jan 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-34978 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Netgear R6260 Firmware. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34978/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34978/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-34978
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34978
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34978

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34978/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.