Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-42081 lets a logged-in QuantaStor administrator run arbitrary operating-system commands remotely through the product API. Because QuantaStor manages storage, successful abuse could expose or disrupt stored data and infrastructure. The public record says versions before 6.0.0.355 are affected.
Executive priority
Treat as urgent for any QuantaStor deployment before 6.0.0.355, especially if management access is exposed beyond a tightly controlled admin network. The prerequisite is administrator access, but impact is full storage-system compromise.
Technical view
This is CWE-78 command injection in OSNEXUS QuantaStor API handling. CVSS 3.1 is 9.1: network reachable, low complexity, high privileges required, no user interaction, changed scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Sources describe arbitrary shell command execution by an authenticated administrator via API parameters.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to organizations running OSNEXUS QuantaStor before 6.0.0.355 where administrative API access is reachable. Internet-exposed management interfaces, broadly shared admin accounts, or weak admin access controls increase practical risk.
Exploitation context
The bundle marks KEV as false, so active exploitation is not established here. Third-party advisories are tagged with technical description and exploit, so defenders should assume public technical details may exist and prioritize validation without reproducing offensive steps.
Researcher notes
Affected-version detail is strongest in the description: QuantaStor before 6.0.0.355. The affected CPE data is incomplete in the bundle. Do not infer other OSNEXUS products. Public exploit-tagged advisories support defensive urgency but not confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade QuantaStor to version 6.0.0.355 or later if applicable.
- Restrict QuantaStor administrative API access to trusted management networks.
- Review and tighten administrator account access and authentication controls.
- Check OSNEXUS guidance for any additional supported mitigations.
Validation and detection
- Inventory QuantaStor instances and record exact software versions.
- Confirm whether administrative API endpoints are reachable from untrusted networks.
- Review logs for unusual administrator API activity or unexpected system-command effects.
- Verify only authorized administrators have active QuantaStor access.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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-78: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. 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 lookupCVE-2021-42081 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe 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.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H2.36Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.1CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wbsec.nl/osnexusCVE reference · third-party-advisory, technical-description
- https://csirt.divd.nl/DIVD-2021-00020/CVE reference · third-party-advisory
- https://www.osnexus.com/products/software-defined-storageCVE reference · product
- https://csirt.divd.nl/CVE-2021-42081CVE reference · third-party-advisory, technical-description
- https://www.divd.nl/DIVD-2021-00020CVE reference · third-party-advisory, x_transferred
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.