CVE-2021-38682
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 · uneditedA stack buffer overflow vulnerability has been reported to affect QNAP device running QVR Elite, QVR Pro, QVR Guard. If exploited, this vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code. We have already fixed this vulnerability in the following versions of QVR Elite, QVR Pro, QVR Guard: QuTS hero h5.0.0: QVR Elite 2.1.4.0 (2021/12/06) and later QuTS hero h4.5.4: QVR Elite 2.1.4.0 (2021/12/06) and later QTS 5.0.0: QVR Elite 2.1.4.0 (2021/12/06) and later QTS 4.5.4: QVR Elite 2.1.4.0 (2021/12/06) and later QTS 4.5.4: QVR Pro 2.1.3.0 (2021/12/06) and later QTS 5.0.0: QVR Pro 2.1.3.0 (2021/12/06) and later QTS 4.5.4: QVR Guard 2.1.3.0 and later QTS 5.0.0: QVR Guard 2.1.3.0 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 confidenceA stack buffer overflow vulnerability in QNAP QVR Elite, QVR Pro, and QVR Guard allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code without authentication due to improper bounds checking in stack memory operations. This critical flaw affects QNAP surveillance/NVR systems and can be exploited over the network.
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< 2.1.4.0< 2.1.3.0< 2.1.3.0CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Identify installed QVR applicationLog into QTS/QuTS hero admin interface and navigate to App Center to find installed QVR surveillance applications (QVR Elite, QVR Pro, or QVR Guard)Affected if Any of these three QVR applications are installed on the device
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Check QVR Elite versionIn QTS App Center, click on QVR Elite and view the version information. Compare against 2.1.4.0Affected if Version is lower than 2.1.4.0 (for example 2.1.3.0 or earlier)
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Check QVR Pro versionIn QTS App Center, click on QVR Pro and view the version information. Compare against 2.1.3.0Affected if Version is lower than 2.1.3.0 (for example 2.1.2.0 or earlier)
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Check QVR Guard versionIn QTS App Center, click on QVR Guard and view the version information. Compare against 2.1.3.0Affected if Version is lower than 2.1.3.0 (for example 2.1.2.0 or earlier)
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Verify QVR network exposureCheck if the QVR service ports (default 8080, 8081, or custom surveillance ports) are exposed to untrusted networks or the internet via router firewall rulesAffected if QVR management or streaming ports are accessible from untrusted networks without VPN or authentication barriers
The system is affected if any QVR Elite version is below 2.1.4.0, or QVR Pro/QVR Guard versions are below 2.1.3.0, and the surveillance service is network-accessible.
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 · scoped2.1.3.02.1.4.0
Upgrade affected QNAP devices to the patched versions: QVR Elite 2.1.4.0 or later, QVR Pro 2.1.3.0 or later, QVR Guard 2.1.3.0 or later, applied to the corresponding QTS or QuTS hero firmware versions.
QVR Elite 2.1.4.0 or later / QVR Pro 2.1.3.0 or later / QVR Guard 2.1.3.0 or later
- Log into the QNAP device as an administrator
- Navigate to App Center or the specific QVR application (QVR Elite, QVR Pro, or QVR Guard)
- Check the current version of the installed QVR application
- Update the QVR application to version 2.1.4.0 or later for QVR Elite, or version 2.1.3.0 or later for QVR Pro/QVR Guard
- Verify the update was successful by checking the application version in the QNAP interface
- Restart the QVR service if prompted to ensure the patched version is fully operational
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38682 — 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-2021-38682 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data