CVE-2016-10174
CVE-2016-10174 is a security flaw in NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router, routers for homes and small offices. Attackers can run their own code on NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router from anywhere, without logging in. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 25 Mar 2022.[1]
NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router is in things households have: home and small-office routers, so the fix matters at home as much as at work.
Description
CISA calls it a buffer overflow in NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router. In its words: “The NETGEAR WNR2000v5 router contains a buffer overflow which can be exploited to achieve remote code execution.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “The NETGEAR WNR2000v5 router contains a buffer overflow in the hidden_lang_avi parameter when invoking the URL /apply.cgi?/lang_check.html. This buffer overflow can be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.”[2]
The underlying weakness is memory buffer error (CWE-119), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 9.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it critical, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it. CISA names the product as NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router.
Every device with NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 25 Mar 2022, 1,880 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 15 Apr 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 83%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[3]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router now.Open the router’s app, or its admin page in a browser, and look for a firmware update. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If the maker has stopped updating it, replace it.Routers stop getting fixes after a few years, and attackers keep a list of the ones that did. If there’s no newer firmware, it won’t be fixed.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 9.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 83%.[3] |
See also
Other NETGEAR flaws
- CVE-2017-5521, NETGEAR Multiple Devices: exposure of sensitive information ·
- CVE-2017-6862, NETGEAR Multiple Devices: buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2017-6334, NETGEAR DGN2200 Devices: OS command injection ·
- CVE-2016-1555, NETGEAR Wireless Access Point (WAP) Devices: multiple WAP devices command injection ·
- CVE-2017-6077, NETGEAR Wireless Router DGN2200: dGN2200 remote code execution ·
Other memory buffer error flaws
- CVE-2026-88779, Citrix NetScaler: improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer ·
- CVE-2026-88772, Citrix NetScaler: improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer ·
- CVE-2026-88771, Citrix NetScaler: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2026-8452, Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway: improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer ·
- CVE-2009-3459, Adobe Acrobat and Reader: heap-based buffer overflow ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-26318, WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Appliances: arbitrary code execution ·
- CVE-2022-26143, Mitel MiCollab, MiVoice Business Express: access control ·
- CVE-2022-21999, Microsoft Windows: print spooler privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2021-42237, Sitecore XP: remote command execution ·
- CVE-2021-22941, Citrix ShareFile: improper access control ·
Every NETGEAR flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router Buffer Overflow Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 25 Mar 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2016-10174 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 30 Jan 2017.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.833, percentile 99.7, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2016-10174”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.