CVE-2020-27156
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-27156 is a critical authorization bypass vulnerability in Veritas APTARE that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. This affects all APTARE versions before 10.5. Organizations using vulnerable versions are at immediate risk of complete system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- Veritas APTARE
📦 What is this software?
Aptare by Veritas
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system takeover with administrative privileges, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement across the network.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to data exfiltration, installation of backdoors, and disruption of backup operations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if network segmentation and strict access controls prevent external access to APTARE systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability requires no authentication and has a straightforward exploitation path, making it attractive for attackers.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 10.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/security/VTS20-006#issue1
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download APTARE 10.5 or later from Veritas support portal. 2. Backup current configuration and data. 3. Apply the upgrade following Veritas documentation. 4. Restart all APTARE services. 5. Verify functionality post-upgrade.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Isolation
allRestrict network access to APTARE systems using firewall rules
# Example iptables rule: iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [APTARE_PORT] -s [TRUSTED_NETWORK] -j ACCEPT
# Block all other access: iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [APTARE_PORT] -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate APTARE systems from untrusted networks
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block exploitation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check APTARE version via web interface or configuration files. Versions below 10.5 are vulnerable.Check Version:
# Check version in APTARE web interface or configuration filesVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 10.5 or higher and test authorization controls for critical functions.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthenticated access attempts to administrative endpoints
- Unusual process execution from APTARE services
- Failed authorization checks in application logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from APTARE servers
- Exploit kit traffic patterns
- Unexpected authentication bypass attempts
SIEM Query:
source="aptare.log" AND ("unauthorized" OR "auth bypass" OR "unauthenticated")