QNAP have released a security advisory this week to warn users of a critical severity vulnerability affecting operating system versions QTS 5.0.1 and QuTS hero h5.0.1. Firmware updates for the affected systems have been released, which can be downloaded for supported NAS models to patch this flaw. Users of affected systems should update their devices as soon as possible to apply the security patch for this vulnerability.  

The vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-27596 has been assigned a CVSS base score of 9.8, and a critical severity rating. This is due to the possibility of this vulnerability being exploited by a remote attacker, without the need for user interaction or any special privileges on the target device. An attacker can exploit this flaw through a low complexity SQL injection attack. Specific details for an exploit of this flaw have not been released, however SQL injection attacks usually occur through a specially crafted SQL request being sent to a vulnerable device to modify the behaviour of legitimate SQL queries on the target device. This malicious code injection can result in a range of outcomes, such as the bypass of security checks, back-end database modification, and the execution of system commands. 

 This vulnerability has been fixed in operating system versions QTS 5.0.1.2234 build 20221201 and later, and QuTS hero h5.0.1.2248 build 20221215 and later. To upgrade to one of these fixed versions, you must first log into QTS or QuTS hero as an administrator. Navigate to the Control Panel, then select System, then Firmware Update. Under the Live Update option will be the ability to Check for Update. This will trigger the download and installation of the latest available version of QTS or QuTS hero. Manual updates can also be performed through the QNAP website, by visiting the Download Centre then choosing the correct device to see the available updates.