External risk intelligence

Checkbox Survey Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Advisory

CVE advisoryKnown Exploit

CVE-2021-27852

A deserialization vulnerability in Checkbox Survey allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. This impacts organizations using affected versions by potentially leading to unauthorized system access and data compromise. The high severity indicates a significant risk to business operations and dat

4Halo Surface Signal

Deserialization

Checkbox Survey

before 7.0

External exposure likelihood

Halo Surface Signal score for CVE-2021-27852

Checkbox Survey is a web-based application designed to collect data from users, which inherently necessitates exposure to the internet or a broad network to function as intended for gathering survey responses.

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

Checkbox Survey's CheckboxWeb.dll component is susceptible to a deserialization vulnerability. This flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to remotely execute arbitrary code on affected systems. Such an occurrence could lead to the compromise of data integrity and system availability, posing a significant business risk.

  • Vulnerable component: Checkbox Survey's CheckboxWeb.dll
  • Core weakness: Untrusted data deserialization
  • Main business impact: Arbitrary code execution and data compromise

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An unauthenticated, remote attacker can exploit a deserialization vulnerability in Checkbox Survey. This vulnerability allows for the execution of arbitrary code, posing a significant risk to affected organizations. The attack does not require any prior authentication from the attacker. This could lead to unauthorized access and control over the affected systems.

  • Exposed internet-facing system.
  • Attacker sends malicious data.
  • Arbitrary code execution.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely without authentication. The impact of successful exploitation could lead to the compromise of systems, data, and the overall business operations. Given its inclusion in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, organizations should prioritize addressing this threat.

  • Likely attacker skill level: Low.
  • Required access or conditions: Network access.
  • Business risk or urgency: High.

Priority actions

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

A deserialization vulnerability in Checkbox Survey allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. This impacts organizations using affected versions by potentially leading to unauthorized system access and data compromise. The critical severity indicates a significant risk to business operations and data integrity.

  • Identify all Checkbox Survey installations.
  • Isolate or disable affected systems.
  • Update to a non-vulnerable version.
  • Validate the update completion.
  • Monitor for related activity.

Frequently asked questions

What is Checkbox Survey and its vulnerable component?

Checkbox Survey is a web-based application used for collecting data through online surveys. A vulnerability has been identified in its CheckboxWeb.dll component.

What type of weakness does CVE-2021-27852 represent?

CVE-2021-27852 is a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability. This allows software to be manipulated by an attacker to run malicious code.

How can an unauthenticated attacker exploit this flaw?

An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted data to the Checkbox Survey application, leading to arbitrary code execution.

Why is this vulnerability considered a significant threat?

This vulnerability enables an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely. This could lead to system compromise, data breaches, and disruption of business operations, especially given its inclusion in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

What are the recommended steps to address this vulnerability?

Organizations should identify all Checkbox Survey installations, isolate or disable affected systems if immediate updates are not possible, and update to a non-vulnerable version, followed by validation and monitoring for related activity.

References