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CVE-2021-28119

9.8 CRITICAL
Remote Code Execution

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2021-28119 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Twinkle Tray, a brightness control utility for Windows. Attackers can send specially crafted IPC messages to the exposed ipcRenderer interface, which then calls the dangerous openExternal API to execute arbitrary commands. All users of Twinkle Tray versions through 1.13.3 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:
  • Twinkle Tray (twinkle-tray)
Versions: All versions through 1.13.3
Operating Systems: Windows
Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes
Notes: The vulnerability exists in the default configuration of Twinkle Tray. No special configuration is required for exploitation.

📦 What is this software?

Twinkle Tray by Twinkletray

View all CVEs affecting Twinkle Tray →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full system compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands with user privileges, install malware, steal data, or pivot to other systems.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote attackers executing commands to install cryptocurrency miners, ransomware, or backdoors on vulnerable systems.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper network segmentation and endpoint protection are in place, though local privilege escalation remains possible.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - The IPC interface is exposed and can be targeted remotely without authentication.
🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Internal attackers or malware can exploit this vulnerability to move laterally within networks.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes
Weaponized: LIKELY
Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes
Complexity: LOW

Exploitation is straightforward - attackers simply need to send crafted IPC messages to the exposed interface. Public proof-of-concept code is available in the GitHub issue references.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Version 1.13.4 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/xanderfrangos/twinkle-tray/issues/142

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Twinkle Tray. 2. Check for updates in settings or via the system tray icon. 3. Update to version 1.13.4 or later. 4. Restart the application. 5. Verify the update was successful.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable or Uninstall Twinkle Tray

windows

Remove the vulnerable application until patching is possible

Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program > Select Twinkle Tray > Uninstall

Block Network Access

windows

Use firewall rules to block Twinkle Tray from receiving network connections

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Twinkle Tray" -Direction Inbound -Program "C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Programs\twinkle-tray\Twinkle Tray.exe" -Action Block

🧯 If You Can't Patch

  • Uninstall Twinkle Tray immediately from all affected systems
  • Implement strict network segmentation and monitor for suspicious IPC communication attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Twinkle Tray version in the application settings or via the system tray icon context menu. If version is 1.13.3 or earlier, the system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

Check the version displayed in Twinkle Tray's settings menu or system tray context menu

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Twinkle Tray version is 1.13.4 or later in application settings. Test that the IPC interface no longer accepts malicious messages.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

  • Unusual process creation from Twinkle Tray
  • Suspicious command execution events
  • IPC communication errors or anomalies

Network Indicators:

  • Unexpected network connections from Twinkle Tray process
  • IPC message traffic to Twinkle Tray from untrusted sources

SIEM Query:

Process Creation where Parent Process Name contains "twinkle" AND Command Line contains suspicious patterns like "cmd", "powershell", or download commands

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-28119
CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published: March 9, 2021
Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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