CVE-2021-44682
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote code execution on Veritas Enterprise Vault servers through insecure .NET Remoting TCP ports. Attackers can exploit deserialization flaws in the remoting services to execute arbitrary code with system privileges. All Enterprise Vault servers through version 14.1.2 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Veritas Enterprise Vault
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement across the network.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to installation of backdoors, credential harvesting, or deployment of malware on affected Enterprise Vault servers.
If Mitigated
Limited to authenticated internal attacks if proper firewall rules and service hardening are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation is straightforward using publicly available .NET deserialization payloads against the exposed TCP remoting ports.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 14.1.2 with hotfix or later versions
Vendor Advisory: https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/security/VTS21-003
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the security hotfix from Veritas Support. 2. Apply the patch following vendor instructions. 3. Restart all Enterprise Vault services. 4. Verify the patch is applied correctly.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Firewall Restriction
windowsBlock all inbound traffic to random TCP ports used by Enterprise Vault .NET Remoting services
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Enterprise Vault Remoting" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 1024-65535 -Action Block
Service Hardening
windowsDisable .NET Remoting services and use alternative secure communication methods
sc config "Enterprise Vault Service Name" start= disabled
Stop-Service -Name "Enterprise Vault Service Name"
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate Enterprise Vault servers from untrusted networks
- Deploy host-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and anomalous process creation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Enterprise Vault version is 14.1.2 or earlier and if .NET Remoting TCP ports are listening (netstat -an | findstr LISTENING | findstr :1024-65535)Check Version:
Check version in Enterprise Vault Administration Console or registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Veritas\Enterprise Vault\CurrentVersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify patch is applied by checking version in Enterprise Vault Administration Console and confirming .NET Remoting services are disabled or secured📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from Enterprise Vault services
- Failed authentication attempts to Enterprise Vault remoting ports
- Abnormal network connections from Enterprise Vault server
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from Enterprise Vault server
- Traffic to known malicious IPs from Enterprise Vault server
- Exploitation attempts on random high TCP ports
SIEM Query:
source="EnterpriseVault" AND (event_id=4688 OR process_name="powershell.exe" OR process_name="cmd.exe") AND parent_process="EnterpriseVaultService.exe"