CVE-2021-33583
📋 TL;DR
REINER timeCard 6.05.07 installs Microsoft SQL Server with a hardcoded sa password in TCServer.jar, allowing attackers to gain full database control. This affects all installations of the specified version. Attackers can read, modify, or delete all timecard data and potentially execute arbitrary commands.
💻 Affected Systems
- REINER timeCard
📦 What is this software?
Timecard by Reiner Sct
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the SQL Server instance leading to data theft, data destruction, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement to other systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to sensitive employee timecard data, payroll manipulation, and potential privilege escalation on the host system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if network segmentation prevents external access and internal users lack knowledge of the hardcoded credentials.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only knowledge of the hardcoded password and network access to the SQL Server instance. The advisory includes technical details that can be used to create exploits.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Contact REINER for updated version information and migration guidance.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Change SQL Server sa Password
windowsManually change the sa password for the Microsoft SQL Server instance installed by timeCard
USE master;
ALTER LOGIN sa WITH PASSWORD = 'NewStrongPassword123!';
Network Segmentation
windowsRestrict network access to the SQL Server instance using firewall rules
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block SQL External" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 1433 -Action Block
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate the SQL Server from untrusted networks
- Monitor for authentication attempts using the hardcoded sa credentials and alert on any usage
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if REINER timeCard version 6.05.07 is installed and examine TCServer.jar for hardcoded SQL credentials using decompilation tools or string extraction.Check Version:
Check the timeCard installation directory for version information or consult the application's about dialog.Verify Fix Applied:
Attempt to connect to the SQL Server instance using the previously known hardcoded credentials - connection should fail after password change.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- SQL Server authentication logs showing sa login attempts
- Failed login attempts after password change
- Successful sa logins from unexpected sources
Network Indicators:
- TCP connections to port 1433 from unauthorized sources
- SQL protocol traffic to the timeCard server
SIEM Query:
source="sql_server" AND (user="sa" OR event_id=18454 OR event_id=18456)