CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2020-2500 — This improper access control vulnerability in Helpdesk allows attackers to get control of QNAP Kayako service

Critical CVSS 9.8

This improper access control vulnerability in Helpdesk allows attackers to get control of QNAP Kayako service. Attackers can access the sensitive data on QNAP Kayako server with API keys. We have replaced the API key to mitigate the vulnerability, and already fixed the issue in Helpdesk 3.0.1 and later versions.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Published
2020-07-01
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-284, CWE-321, CWE-798

Affected products

  • qnap / helpdesk

Matched remediation archetype

Authentication bypass and missing authentication

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Check exposure

  • Map every affected endpoint and protocol path, including alternate ports, legacy routes, recovery flows, service accounts, and machine-to-machine access.
  • Confirm which deployments enable the affected authentication mode and whether the interface is reachable from untrusted networks.
  • Review session, token, credential, and proxy trust configuration without attempting account takeover.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the supported fix and centralize fail-closed authentication before protected request handling.
  • Remove default or embedded credentials, rotate affected secrets and sessions, and bind authentication decisions to the intended audience and channel.
  • Add negative tests for alternate routes, malformed or absent credentials, recovery flows, and proxy-derived identity.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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