CVE-2000-0379 is a vulnerability affecting the Netopia R9100 router, specifically version 4.6.2. The issue arises because the router fails to enforce restrictions on authenticated users attempting to modify SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) tables, even when the administrator has configured the device to prevent such modifications. SNMP is commonly used for network management and monitoring, and its tables contain critical configuration and operational data. In this case, an authenticated user—meaning someone who has already gained access credentials—can alter SNMP tables that should be protected, potentially changing router configurations or network behavior. The vulnerability does not allow unauthenticated access, and exploitation requires local or network-level authenticated access. The CVSS score is 3.6 (low), with the vector AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N, indicating that the attack requires local access, low attack complexity, no additional authentication beyond initial access, and impacts confidentiality and integrity but not availability. A patch is available from the vendor to address this issue, as referenced in the provided links. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and the vulnerability dates back to the year 2000, indicating it is an older issue that may still be present in legacy systems.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability is primarily related to the potential unauthorized modification of network device configurations by authenticated users. If an attacker or malicious insider gains authenticated access to the affected Netopia R9100 routers, they could alter SNMP tables to manipulate network monitoring data, disable security controls, or reroute traffic, potentially leading to confidentiality breaches or integrity violations. However, the vulnerability does not allow for denial of service or availability disruption directly. Given the age of the vulnerability and the specific product affected, the risk is mostly relevant to organizations still operating legacy Netopia R9100 routers, which may be found in smaller or specialized network environments. The impact is mitigated by the requirement for authenticated access, limiting remote exploitation opportunities. Nonetheless, in critical infrastructure or sensitive environments, unauthorized configuration changes could facilitate further attacks or data exfiltration.

1. Apply the vendor-provided patch immediately to affected Netopia R9100 routers (version 4.6.2) to ensure proper enforcement of SNMP table modification restrictions. 2. Restrict SNMP access strictly to trusted administrators and management systems using network segmentation and access control lists (ACLs). 3. Implement strong authentication mechanisms for router management interfaces to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. 4. Regularly audit SNMP configurations and router logs to detect unauthorized changes or suspicious activity. 5. Consider replacing legacy Netopia R9100 routers with modern, supported devices that have up-to-date security features and firmware. 6. Employ network monitoring tools that can detect anomalous SNMP traffic or configuration changes in real-time. 7. Limit the number of users with authenticated access to network devices to the minimum necessary and enforce role-based access controls.