CVE-2016-6277
CVE-2016-6277 is a security flaw in NETGEAR Multiple Routers, routers for homes and small offices. Attackers can run their own code on NETGEAR Multiple Routers 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 7 Mar 2022.[1]
NETGEAR Multiple Routers 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 remote code execution in NETGEAR Multiple Routers. In its words: “NETGEAR confirmed multiple routers allow unauthenticated web pages to pass form input directly to the command-line interface, permitting remote code execution.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “NETGEAR R6250 before 1.0.4.6.Beta, R6400 before 1.0.1.18.Beta, R6700 before 1.0.1.14.Beta, R6900, R7000 before 1.0.7.6.Beta, R7100LG before 1.0.0.28.Beta, R7300DST before 1.0.0.46.Beta, R7900 before 1.0.1.8.Beta, R8000 before 1.0.3.26.Beta, D6220, D6400, D7000, and possibly other routers allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in the path info to cgi-bin/.”[2]
The underlying weakness is cross-site request forgery (CWE-352), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 8.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, 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 Multiple Routers.
Every device with NETGEAR Multiple Routers needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 7 Mar 2022, 1,909 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 7 Sep 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 over 99%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[3]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update NETGEAR Multiple Routers 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 8.8.[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 over 99%.[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-2016-10174, NETGEAR WNR2000v5 Router: buffer overflow ·
Other cross-site request forgery flaws
- CVE-2008-4128, Cisco IOS: cross-site request forgery ·
- CVE-2023-2533, PaperCut NG/MF: cross-site request forgery (CSRF) ·
- CVE-2014-100005, D-Link DIR-600 Router: cross-site request forgery (CSRF) ·
- CVE-2020-10181, Sumavision Enhanced Multimedia Router (EMR): EMR cross-site request forgery (CSRF) ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-26486, Mozilla Firefox: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2022-26485, Mozilla Firefox: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2021-21973, VMware vCenter Server and Cloud Foundation: server side request forgery (SSRF) ·
- CVE-2020-8218, Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure: code injection ·
- CVE-2019-11581, Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center: server-side template injection ·
Every NETGEAR flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “NETGEAR Multiple Routers Remote Code Execution Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 7 Mar 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2016-6277 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 14 Dec 2016.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.998, percentile 100.0, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2016-6277”. 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.