How severe is CVE-2017-5521?

CVE-2017-5521 has a CVSS score of 8.1/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2017-5521?

Affected package information for CVE-2017-5521 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2017-5521?

No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2017-5521 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2017-5521 in my code and dependencies?

Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).

How do I mitigate CVE-2017-5521 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Is CVE-2017-5521 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 7 known exploit references for CVE-2017-5521, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 6 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2017-5521?

CVE-2017-5521 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 89.4%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is CVE-2017-5521 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2017-5521 (NETGEAR Multiple Devices Exposure of Sensitive Information Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-09-08. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-09-29. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. If the affected device has since entered end-of-life, it should be disconnected if still in use. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2017-5521?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2017-5521, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. A Metasploit module references CVE-2017-5521, which lowers the barrier to weaponization. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2017-5521 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2017-5521 was published on January 17, 2017 and was last updated on October 21, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🛡️

CISA KEV · ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

HIGH severity

CVE-2017-5521

HIGH

CVE-2017-5521 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) vulnerability. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-09-08) — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

An issue was discovered on NETGEAR R8500, R8300, R7000, R6400, R7300, R7100LG, R6300v2, WNDR3400v3, WNR3500Lv2, R6250, R6700, R6900, and R8000 devices. They are prone to password disclosure…

Published

Jan 17, 2017

Updated

Oct 21, 2025

Affected

13 products

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

7 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 21, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-09-08. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-09-29.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2017-5521.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

89.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk+0.11%

Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2017-5521 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). In the shaded patch-first corner (EPSS 50%+, CVSS 7.0+).

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 395,249 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 50–90% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Description

An issue was discovered on NETGEAR R8500, R8300, R7000, R6400, R7300, R7100LG, R6300v2, WNDR3400v3, WNR3500Lv2, R6250, R6700, R6900, and R8000 devices. They are prone to password disclosure via simple crafted requests to the web management server. The bug is exploitable remotely if the remote management option is set, and can also be exploited given access to the router over LAN or WLAN. When trying to access the web panel, a user is asked to authenticate; if the authentication is canceled and password recovery is not enabled, the user is redirected to a page that exposes a password recovery token. If a user supplies the correct token to the page /passwordrecovered.cgi?id=TOKEN (and password recovery is not enabled), they will receive the admin password for the router. If password recovery is set the exploit will fail, as it will ask the user for the recovery questions that were previously set when enabling that feature. This is persistent (even after disabling the recovery option, the exploit will fail) because the router will ask for the security questions.

Affected Products

13 products · 13 configurations

ac1450 firmwarenetgear

1 version

1.0.0.34_10.0.16

d6220 firmwarenetgear

1 version

1.0.0.12

d6300 firmwarenetgear

1 version

1.0.0.96

d6300b firmwarenetgear

1 version

1.0.0.40

d6400 firmwarenetgear

1 version

1.0.0.44

dgn2200bv4 firmwarenetgear

1 version

1.0.0.68

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-41205webappshardware✓ Verified

Netgear Routers - Password Disclosure

by Trustwave's SpiderLabs · Jan 30, 2017

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vulnerability

Detect
Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).
Remediation status
No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2017-5521 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

How to detect CVE-2017-5521

A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:

nuclei -id cve-2017-5521 -u https://target

Template: NETGEAR Routers - Authentication Bypass
Severity: high
Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized configuration changes, network compromise, and potential exposure of sensitive information.
Remediation: Apply the latest firmware update provided by NETGEAR to mitigate this vulnerability.

Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (princechaddha), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2017-5521 in your dependencies?

Find it across , including transitive dependencies.

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CVE-2017-5521

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Description

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

How to detect CVE-2017-5521

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2017-5521 in your dependencies?