CVE-2021-38678
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn open redirect vulnerability has been reported to affect QNAP device running QcalAgent. If exploited, this vulnerability allows attackers to redirect users to an untrusted page that contains malware. We have already fixed this vulnerability in the following versions of QcalAgent: QcalAgent 1.1.7 and later
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAn open redirect vulnerability in QcalAgent on QNAP devices allows remote attackers to redirect users to malicious websites via a crafted URL parameter, potentially leading to malware infections.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 1.1.7CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm QcalAgent is installed on the QNAP deviceAccess the QNAP device admin interface and navigate to App Center or use the command line to list installed applications. Look for 'QcalAgent' in the installed applications list.Affected if QcalAgent is not present in the installed applications list
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Identify the installed version of QcalAgentIn the QNAP App Center, click on QcalAgent and view the version information displayed, or use the QNAP CLI command 'qpkg -i | grep -i qcalagent' if available to retrieve the package version.Affected if The displayed version number is lower than 1.1.7 or cannot be determined (version not shown)
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Verify the web-based interface is accessibleAttempt to access the QcalAgent web interface by entering the QNAP device IP address followed by the QcalAgent portal path in a web browser (typically port 8080 or 443). Check if the login or status page loads.Affected if The web interface is accessible and responds to requests, indicating the vulnerable component is exposed
If QcalAgent is installed on the QNAP device with a version lower than 1.1.7 and the web interface is accessible, the environment is affected by this open redirect vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped1.1.7
Upgrade QcalAgent to version 1.1.7 or later on all affected QNAP devices.
QcalAgent 1.1.7 or later
- Check the current version of QcalAgent installed on the QNAP device
- Access the QNAP App Center or use QNAP's firmware update mechanism
- Locate QcalAgent in the available applications
- Upgrade QcalAgent to version 1.1.7 or later
- Verify the installed version is 1.1.7 or higher after the upgrade completes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38678 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-38678 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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