CVE-2021-27852 Checkbox Checkbox Survey: unsafe data loading
In plain words: The program unpacks saved data from outside without checking it is safe. Usually lets an attacker run code on the server.
Confirmed exploited by CISA on · US federal patch deadline May 2, 2022
What to do
- Install Checkbox's security update for Checkbox Survey. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships.
- Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
- Patch anything in this catalog first, ahead of normal patch cycles.
- Put admin and file-transfer apps behind a VPN or single sign-on instead of the open internet.
Who is affected
Work IT. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.
What's at risk: Mass data theft and ransomware: a single flaw in a file-transfer or email server has exposed thousands of organisations at once.
The details
- Official name
- Checkbox Survey Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability
- Product
- Checkbox Checkbox Survey
- CISA description
- Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in CheckboxWeb.dll of Checkbox Survey allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.
- Type of flaw
- Unsafe data loading (CWE-502)
- Confirmed exploited
- Apr 11, 2022
- US federal patch deadline
- May 2, 2022
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Answering about CVE-2021-27852 ·
Questions about CVE-2021-27852
Is CVE-2021-27852 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2021-27852 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Apr 11, 2022, which means there is reliable evidence of real-world attacks.
How do I fix CVE-2021-27852?
Install Checkbox's security update for Checkbox Survey. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships. Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
Am I affected by CVE-2021-27852?
Only if you use Checkbox Checkbox Survey. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.