CVE-2021-3375
📋 TL;DR
ActivePresenter 6.1.6 contains a memory corruption vulnerability (CWE-787) that allows attackers to crash the application or execute arbitrary code by exploiting improper memory operations. This affects all users running the vulnerable version of ActivePresenter, potentially leading to system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- ActivePresenter
📦 What is this software?
Activepresenter by Atomisystems
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with SYSTEM/administrator privileges leading to complete system takeover, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Application crash causing denial of service and potential data loss in unsaved presentations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and endpoint protection blocking exploit attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Public proof-of-concept demonstrates crash/DoS; weaponization for RCE is likely given CVSS 9.8 score and memory corruption nature.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.1.7 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://atomisystems.com/activepresenter/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download latest version from ActivePresenter website. 2. Run installer. 3. Restart system if prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Application Control
windowsBlock execution of ActivePresenter 6.1.6 using application whitelisting/blacklisting
Windows: Use AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control policies
File Type Restriction
allBlock .presentation files at email/web gateways
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Network segmentation to isolate systems running vulnerable version
- Implement strict endpoint detection and response (EDR) to monitor for exploitation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Help > About in ActivePresenter for version numberCheck Version:
Windows: wmic product where name="ActivePresenter" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 6.1.7 or higher in Help > About📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crash logs from ActivePresenter
- Unexpected process termination events
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of suspicious presentation files
- Outbound connections from ActivePresenter process
SIEM Query:
Process:ActivePresenter.exe AND (EventID:1000 OR EventID:1001)