CVE-2025-52860 in QTS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/03/2025
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability has been reported to affect several QNAP operating system versions. If a remote attacker gains an administrator account, they can then exploit the vulnerability to launch a denial-of-service (DoS) attack.
We have already fixed the vulnerability in the following versions: QTS 5.2.6.3195 build 20250715 and later QuTS hero h5.2.6.3195 build 20250715 and later
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/09/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical null pointer dereference flaw within QNAP's operating system implementations that affects multiple versions of both QTS and QuTS hero platforms. The issue manifests when a remote attacker who has already compromised administrative credentials attempts to exploit the system through a specific code path that leads to unhandled null pointer access. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-476 category of NULL Pointer Dereference, which is classified as a fundamental programming error that occurs when an application attempts to access memory through a null pointer reference. The flaw specifically targets the operating system's handling of certain administrative functions or API endpoints that process user requests, where the application fails to validate pointer states before attempting to dereference them.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables authenticated remote attackers to execute denial-of-service attacks against affected QNAP devices. Once an attacker has obtained administrative credentials through prior compromise or exploitation, they can leverage this vulnerability to crash the system services or cause complete system unavailability. This creates a particularly dangerous scenario where an attacker with elevated privileges can effectively render the device inoperable, potentially disrupting business continuity for organizations relying on QNAP network-attached storage solutions. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal additional attack surface beyond existing administrative access, making it a particularly concerning issue for enterprise environments where QNAP devices serve as critical infrastructure components.
The fix for this vulnerability was implemented in QNAP's QTS 5.2.6.3195 build 20250715 and later versions for both QTS and QuTS hero platforms. This remediation addresses the root cause by implementing proper null pointer validation within the affected code paths that handle administrative requests. The patch ensures that all pointer references are validated before dereferencing operations occur, thereby preventing the system from attempting to access memory locations that have not been properly initialized or allocated. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of these updated firmware versions across all affected QNAP devices to eliminate the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial-of-service attacks, where compromised administrative accounts are leveraged to disrupt system availability. Given the nature of the vulnerability and its potential for system disruption, security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual administrative activity patterns that might indicate unauthorized access attempts prior to exploitation.