CVE-2026-24721 in File Station 5
Summary
by MITRE • 10/15/2026
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability has been reported to affect File Station 5. If a remote attacker gains a user account, they can then exploit the vulnerability to launch a denial-of-service (DoS) attack.
We have already fixed the vulnerability in the following version: File Station 5 5.5.6.5243 and later
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2026
The reported vulnerability represents a classic NULL pointer dereference flaw within the File Station 5 application, which is commonly deployed as part of network-attached storage management interfaces. This type of defect occurs when software attempts to access memory at address zero or an uninitialized pointer value that has not been properly validated before use. In the context of web-based file management systems like File Station, such vulnerabilities often arise from insufficient input validation or improper error handling routines where expected data structures are missing specific fields or contain unexpected null values. When a remote attacker who possesses valid user credentials interacts with the vulnerable component by supplying crafted requests that trigger this code path, the application fails to handle the absence of required pointers gracefully. Instead of returning an appropriate error message or rejecting the malformed input, the underlying process attempts to dereference the NULL pointer, leading to an immediate crash of the affected service thread or the entire application instance.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-476, which is defined as a NULL Pointer Dereference in the Common Weakness Enumeration database. The exploitation scenario requires prior authentication, meaning it does not constitute a remote code execution vector accessible to unauthenticated users but rather serves as an authenticated denial-of-service mechanism. This distinction is critical for risk assessment because while the impact on confidentiality and integrity may be minimal if no other vulnerabilities are present, the availability impact is severe. An attacker can repeatedly trigger this condition to cause persistent service interruptions, effectively rendering the file storage infrastructure inaccessible to legitimate users who rely on File Station 5 for daily operations. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499, Endpoint Denial of Service, specifically under sub-techniques involving resource exhaustion or application crashes due to software flaws.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service downtime. In enterprise environments where network storage is central to data workflows, a denial-of-service attack can lead to significant productivity losses and potential data corruption if write operations are interrupted mid-process during the crash sequence. Furthermore, frequent restarts or instability caused by repeated exploitation attempts may mask other malicious activities or complicate forensic investigations due to log rotation and service state resets. The vulnerability highlights gaps in defensive programming practices within the application codebase, particularly regarding robustness against malformed inputs even from authenticated sources. It underscores the importance of implementing strict input validation schemas and ensuring that all pointer operations are guarded by null checks before dereferencing occurs.
To mitigate this risk, organizations must ensure that their File Station 5 instances are updated to version 5.5.6.5243 or later, as indicated in the vendor advisory. This update contains the necessary code patches that likely include enhanced input validation logic and proper exception handling mechanisms to prevent the application from crashing when encountering invalid data structures. In addition to applying the software patch, administrators should enforce strong access control policies to limit who can create user accounts with privileges sufficient to interact with File Station 5 components. Implementing network-level monitoring for unusual patterns of requests that might indicate exploitation attempts can also provide an additional layer of defense. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on memory safety and error handling in web applications are recommended practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced or remaining undetected in future releases.