CVE-2025-53597
📋 TL;DR
A buffer overflow vulnerability in QNAP License Center allows authenticated administrators to modify memory or crash processes. This affects systems running vulnerable versions of License Center. Attackers need administrator credentials to exploit this vulnerability.
💻 Affected Systems
- QNAP License Center
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment
Likely Case
Service disruption through process crashes or limited memory corruption
If Mitigated
No impact if proper access controls prevent unauthorized administrator access
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires administrator credentials and buffer overflow exploitation knowledge
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: License Center 2.0.36 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.qnap.com/en/security-advisory/qsa-25-52
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Log into QNAP App Center 2. Update License Center to version 2.0.36 or later 3. Restart the License Center service or the entire NAS if required
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Administrator Access
allLimit administrator accounts to only trusted personnel and implement strong authentication
Network Segmentation
allIsolate License Center from untrusted networks and implement firewall rules
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls for administrator accounts
- Monitor for unusual administrator activity and failed authentication attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check License Center version in QNAP App Center or via SSH: cat /etc/config/uLinux.conf | grep license_center_versionCheck Version:
cat /etc/config/uLinux.conf | grep license_center_versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify License Center version is 2.0.36 or higher in App Center📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful admin login
- License Center service crashes or restarts
- Unusual memory allocation patterns
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to License Center ports from unexpected sources
- Administrator login attempts from unusual IP addresses
SIEM Query:
source="qnap_logs" AND (event="authentication_failure" OR event="service_crash") AND process="license_center"