Privilege escalation in Netgear Genie for macOS

1) Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls

EUVDB-ID: #VU59134

Risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 2 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-20172

CWE-ID: CWE-264 - Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to improper permissions on files used throughout the installation process, which leads to security restrictions bypass and privilege escalation.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Genie Installer for macOS: All versions

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:a:netgear:genie_installer_for_macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2021-56

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.