dbcve.org
Kace Desktop AuthorityApplication · Quest

CVE-2021-44029

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
An issue was discovered in Quest KACE Desktop Authority before 11.2. This vulnerability allows attackers to execute remote code through a deserialization exploitation in the RadAsyncUpload function of ASP.NET AJAX. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability when the encryption keys are known (due to the presence of CVE-2017-11317, CVE-2017-11357, or other means). A default setting for the type whitelisting feature in more current versions of ASP.NET AJAX prevents exploitation.

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 confidence

A deserialization vulnerability in Quest KACE Desktop Authority before version 11.2 allows remote code execution through the RadAsyncUpload function in ASP.NET AJAX. Exploitation requires prior knowledge of encryption keys, which can be obtained through related vulnerabilities CVE-2017-11317 or CVE-2017-11357 or other means.

MitigationUpgrade to Quest KACE Desktop Authority version 11.2 or later, and ensure type whitelisting is enabled in ASP.NET AJAX. Also address any compromised encryption keys from related vulnerabilities.

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
Kace Desktop AuthorityApplication
Affected:>= 10.0, < 11.2

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed KACE Desktop Authority version
    Check the application version through the KACE administrative interface, Windows Programs and Features, or the KACE service version information. Compare against the affected range: 10.0 through 11.1.x.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.0 or higher but lower than 11.2
  2. Confirm ASP.NET AJAX is in use
    Inspect the KACE Desktop Authority web configuration files for ASP.NET AJAX framework references and the Telerik RadAsyncUpload handler configuration.
    Affected if ASP.NET AJAX and RadAsyncUpload handler are present and enabled in the configuration
  3. Check for exposure of RadAsyncUpload endpoint
    Review the web.config or IIS configuration for the presence of the Telerik.Web.UI.DialogHandler and RadAsyncUpload handler mappings that expose the upload functionality.
    Affected if The RadAsyncUpload handler is mapped and accessible via the web interface
  4. Verify encryption key integrity
    Review audit logs and configuration for indicators of the related vulnerabilities CVE-2017-11317 or CVE-2017-11357 that could have exposed encryption keys, or check if keys have been rotated from defaults.
    Affected if Encryption keys have not been rotated, show signs of compromise, or the system is still vulnerable to the related CVEs that leak keys

The system is affected if KACE Desktop Authority version is 10.0 through 11.1.x, ASP.NET AJAX with RadAsyncUpload is enabled, and encryption keys may be compromised or exposed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 11.2 or later
Fixed in 11.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Quest KACE Desktop Authority version 11.2 or later, and ensure type whitelisting is enabled in ASP.NET AJAX. Also address any compromised encryption keys from related vulnerabilities.

Recommended fix High confidence

KACE Desktop Authority 11.2 or later

  1. 1. Back up the current KACE Desktop Authority installation and database
  2. 2. Download the latest version of KACE Desktop Authority (version 11.2 or later) from support.quest.com
  3. 3. Review the upgrade documentation provided by Quest for version 11.2
  4. 4. Install the upgrade following the standard upgrade procedure
  5. 5. Verify that the upgrade was successful by checking the version number in the admin console
  6. 6. Test critical functionality to ensure normal operations are restored
Caveat Review Quest's release notes for version 11.2 for any configuration or feature changes that may affect your deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Kace Desktop Authority Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-44029 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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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