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Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2025-27816

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
A vulnerability was discovered in the Arctera InfoScale 7.0 through 8.0.2 where a .NET remoting endpoint can be exploited due to the insecure deserialization of potentially untrusted messages. The vulnerability is present in the Windows Plugin_Host service, which runs on all the servers where InfoScale is installed. The service is used only when applications are configured for Disaster Recovery (DR) using the DR wizard. Disabling the Plugin_Host service manually will eliminate the vulnerability.

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 exists in the Arctera InfoScale Plugin_Host service (versions 7.0-8.0.2) where a .NET remoting endpoint accepts and deserializes potentially untrusted messages without proper validation. This insecure deserialization flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending malicious serialized objects to the Plugin_Host service.

MitigationDisable the Plugin_Host Windows service on all InfoScale servers to eliminate the attack surface. Verify Disaster Recovery configurations are not impacted before disabling, as the service is only used during DR wizard operations.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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. Verify Arctera InfoScale installation and version
    Check the installed version of Arctera InfoScale on the Windows system. This can typically be found in Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Veritas\InfoScale, or by querying the installed programs list. Compare the version number to the affected range 7.0 through 8.0.2.
    Affected if InfoScale version is 7.0, 7.x, 8.0, 8.0.1, or 8.0.2.
  2. Confirm Plugin_Host service exists
    Open Windows Services console (services.msc) or run 'sc query Plugin_Host' command to check if the Plugin_Host service is present on the system.
    Affected if The Plugin_Host service exists on the system.
  3. Check Plugin_Host service status
    Run 'sc query Plugin_Host' or check the service status in Services console to determine if the service is currently running.
    Affected if The Plugin_Host service is running (started).
  4. Determine if Disaster Recovery is configured
    Verify whether Disaster Recovery has been configured via the DR wizard on this InfoScale server. This may be checkable through InfoScale configuration utilities, DR wizard logs, or by checking if DR-related components are present and active.
    Affected if Disaster Recovery is configured and active, as this is the condition that enables the vulnerable Plugin_Host service.

The system is affected if Arctera InfoScale versions 7.0 through 8.0.2 are installed AND the Plugin_Host service is running with Disaster Recovery configured.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable the Plugin_Host Windows service on all InfoScale servers to eliminate the attack surface. Verify Disaster Recovery configurations are not impacted before disabling, as the service is only used during DR wizard operations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Open Windows Services console (services.msc)
  2. Locate the 'Plugin_Host' service in the list
  3. Right-click on the service and select 'Properties'
  4. Change the 'Startup type' to 'Disabled'
  5. Click 'Stop' to stop the service if it is currently running
  6. Click 'OK' to apply the changes
  7. Alternatively, use command line: sc stop Plugin_Host && sc config Plugin_Host start= disabled
  8. Verify the service status shows 'Disabled' and is not running
Caveat Disabling Plugin_Host service will prevent Disaster Recovery wizard functionality - only disable if DR features are not in use

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
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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-2025-27816 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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