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CVE Record

CVE-2021-32535: QSAN SANOS - Use of Hard-coded Credentials

The vulnerability of hard-coded default credentials in QSAN SANOS allows unauthenticated remote attackers to obtain administrator’s permission and execute arbitrary functions. The referred vulnerability has been solved with the updated version of QSAN SANOS v2.1.0.

CriticalCVSS 9.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysiscritical

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

QSAN SANOS contained hard-coded default credentials. A remote attacker who can reach the affected service could gain administrator permissions and perform arbitrary functions. The vendor-side source says the issue was solved in SANOS v2.1.0.

Executive priority

Treat this as urgent for any exposed QSAN SANOS system. The issue can allow remote administrator control without authentication, but the provided sources do not show active exploitation. Patch and reduce exposure quickly.

Technical view

CVE-2021-32535 is a CWE-798 hard-coded credentials flaw in QSAN SANOS. CVSS 3.1 is 9.8: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where QSAN SANOS is running an affected pre-v2.1.0 version and its management or service interface is reachable by untrusted networks. The source bundle does not specify exact affected versions beyond QSAN SANOS.

Exploitation context

The bundle supports unauthenticated remote administrator access and arbitrary functions. It does not cite active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked as CISA KEV in the provided data.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited: affected versions are unspecified, and the public reference only states the issue is solved in SANOS v2.1.0. Do not infer exploit availability or broader product impact without additional vendor confirmation.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade affected QSAN SANOS systems to v2.1.0 or later.
  • Restrict remote access to SANOS management services to trusted networks.
  • Check QSAN or TWCERT guidance for affected-version details.
  • Review exposed systems for suspicious administrator activity.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory QSAN SANOS appliances and record running versions.
  • Confirm each SANOS instance is updated to v2.1.0 or later.
  • Verify management access is not reachable from untrusted networks.
  • Review logs for unexpected administrator sessions or configuration changes.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · medium confidence lookup

CWE-798: Credential and account abuse lookup

Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2021-32535 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
9.8CVSS 3.1CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

9.8Critical
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-32535Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
QSANSANOSunspecifiedListed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-798

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.