Cyber Threat Intelligence
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CRITICAL · CVSS 9.8 CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

CVE-2021-42258

BQE BillQuick Web Suite SQL Injection Vulnerability

BQE BillQuick Web Suite

BQE BillQuick Web Suite 2018 through 2021 before 22.0.9.1 allows SQL injection for unauthenticated remote code execution, as exploited in the wild in October 2021 for ransomware installation. SQL injection can, for example, use the txtID (aka username) parameter. Successful exploitation can include the ability to execute arbitrary code as MSSQLSERVER$ via xp_cmdshell.

CVSS
9.8
CRITICAL
EPSS
74.4%
30-day exploitation
Ransomware groups
0
recorded exploiting
Published
22 Oct 2021
CWE-89

Exploitation status

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Listed by CISA on 3 November 2021. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 17 November 2021. CISA records this vulnerability as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.

EPSS — exploitation probability

FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 74.4%, which is higher than 99.5% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.

CVSS vector

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

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2021-42258 being exploited by ransomware groups?

No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2021-42258.

What does CVE-2021-42258 affect?

CVE-2021-42258 affects BQE BillQuick Web Suite. BQE BillQuick Web Suite 2018 through 2021 before 22.0.9.1 allows SQL injection for unauthenticated remote code execution, as exploited in the wild in October 2021 for ransomware installation. SQL injection can, for example, use the txtID (aka username) parameter. Successful exploitation can include the ability to execute arbitrary code as MSSQLSERVER$ via xp_cmdshell.

How severe is CVE-2021-42258?

CVE-2021-42258 is rated CRITICAL with a CVSS base score of 9.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 74.4%, higher than 99.5% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 17 November 2021.

How should organisations respond to CVE-2021-42258?

Apply the vendor patch for BQE BillQuick Web Suite as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.