CVE-2021-35973 Auth bypass in n/a

Critical 9.8 Published 30 Jun 2021 Updated 4 Aug 2024

Unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication on NETGEAR WAC104 devices to change passwords and gain admin shell access.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2021-35973?

CVE-2021-35973 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 30 Jun 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

NETGEAR WAC104 devices before 1.0.4.15 are affected by an authentication bypass vulnerability in /usr/sbin/mini_httpd, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to invoke any action by adding the &currentsetting.htm substring to the HTTP query, a related issue to CVE-2020-27866. This directly allows the attacker to change the web UI password, and eventually to enable debug mode (telnetd) and gain a shell on the device as the admin limited-user account (however, escalation to root is simple because of weak permissions on the /etc/ directory).

Weakness: CWE-697

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-35973?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Netgear Wac104 Firmware.

How do I fix CVE-2021-35973?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-35973 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and rotate credentials and sessions that may have been exposed. More about Authentication bypass.

Is CVE-2021-35973 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-35973 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-8q8f-338r-vxhf.