CVE-2021-38687 [High] | Memory Corruption in Surveillance Station

A stack buffer overflow vulnerability has been reported to affect QNAP NAS running Surveillance Station. If exploited, this vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code. We have already fixed this vulnerability in the following versions of Surveillance Station: QTS 5.0.0 (64 bit): Surveillance Station 5.2.0.4.2 ( 2021/10/26 ) and later QTS 5.0.0 (32 bit): Surveillance Station 5.2.0.3.2 ( 2021/10/26 ) and later QTS 4.3.6 (64 bit): Surveillance Station 5.1.5.4.6 ( 2021/10/26 ) and later QTS 4.3.6 (32 bit): Surveillance Station 5.1.5.3.6 ( 2021/10/26 ) and later QTS 4.3.3: Surveillance Station 5.1.5.3.6 ( 2021/10/26 ) and later

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2026-06-15	0.81%	1.28%	+0.47%
2	2025-03-30	2.55%	0.81%	-1.73%
3	2025-03-29	—	2.55%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2026-06-15

0.81%

1.28%

+0.47%

2025-03-30

2.55%

0.81%

-1.73%

2025-03-29

—

2.55%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
8.1	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. Attack complexity (AC:H) Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work. Privileges required (PR:N) No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	2.2	5.9	[email protected]
9.8	3.1	CRITICAL	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. Attack complexity (AC:L) Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup. Privileges required (PR:N) No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	3.9	5.9	[email protected]
7.5	2.0	HIGH	`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P` Click to expand Access vector (AV:N) Can be exploited remotely over network reachability. Access complexity (AC:L) Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable. Authentication (AU:N) No authentication is required. Confidentiality impact (C:P) Partial confidentiality impact. Integrity impact (I:P) Partial integrity impact. Availability impact (A:P) Partial availability impact.	10.0	6.4	[email protected]

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

8.1

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H): Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N): No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

2.2

5.9

[email protected]

9.8

3.1

CRITICAL

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L): Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N): No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

3.9

5.9

[email protected]

7.5

2.0

HIGH

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand

Access vector (AV:N): Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L): Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N): No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P): Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P): Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P): Partial availability impact.

10.0

6.4

[email protected]

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-38687

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
qnap	surveillance_station	< 5.2.0.4.2	cpe:2.3:a:qnap:surveillance_station::::::::
qnap	surveillance_station	< 5.2.0.3.2	cpe:2.3:a:qnap:surveillance_station::::::::
qnap	surveillance_station	< 5.1.5.4.6	cpe:2.3:a:qnap:surveillance_station::::::::
qnap	surveillance_station	< 5.1.5.3.6	cpe:2.3:a:qnap:surveillance_station::::::::

References for CVE-2021-38687

URL	Tags
https://www.qnap.com/en/security-advisory/qsa-21-46	Vendor Advisory

URL

CVE-2021-38687 | Stack Overflow Vulnerability in Surveillance Station

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-38687

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-38687

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-38687

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-38687

References for CVE-2021-38687