CVE-2021-27193
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2021-27193 is a critical vulnerability in Netop Vision Pro's API that allows remote unauthenticated attackers to read and write files with SYSTEM privileges. This leads to complete system compromise and affects all users running vulnerable versions of Netop Vision Pro distance learning software.
💻 Affected Systems
- Netop Vision Pro
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system takeover - attacker gains SYSTEM privileges, can install malware, steal sensitive data, pivot to other systems, and maintain persistent access.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to ransomware deployment, data theft, or unauthorized access to student/teacher systems in educational environments.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if software is behind strict network segmentation, firewalls, and access controls preventing external connections.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation is straightforward - attackers can use simple HTTP requests to the vulnerable API endpoint without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 9.7.2 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.netop.com/netop-news/article/netop-security-update.htm
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Netop Vision Pro version 9.7.2 or later from official vendor site. 2. Run installer with administrative privileges. 3. Restart the system after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
windowsBlock external access to Netop Vision Pro API ports (typically 1973/TCP)
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Block Netop API" dir=in action=block protocol=TCP localport=1973
Disable Service
windowsTemporarily disable Netop Vision Pro service if not in use
sc stop "Netop Vision Pro"
sc config "Netop Vision Pro" start= disabled
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit connections to Netop Vision Pro only from trusted IP addresses
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious file operations and privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Netop Vision Pro version in Control Panel > Programs and Features. If version is 9.7.1 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wmic product where "name like 'Netop Vision Pro%'" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 9.7.2 or later and test that API endpoints no longer accept unauthenticated file operations.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file creation/modification in system directories
- Process creation with SYSTEM privileges from Netop processes
- Failed authentication attempts to Netop API
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Netop processes
- External IP addresses connecting to port 1973/TCP
- HTTP requests to Netop API endpoints without authentication headers
SIEM Query:
source="windows" AND (process_name="netop*" AND (file_path="C:\\Windows\\*" OR user="SYSTEM")) OR (destination_port=1973 AND NOT source_ip IN [trusted_ips])