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Synology has once again responded with a security update to several critical vulnerabilities uncovered during the well-known Pwn2Own hacker contest. Synology’s participation in Pwn2Own regularly brings to light vulnerabilities in their network-attached storage (NAS) solutions that not only compromise the devices, but often their users’ networks as well. The latest round of fixes marks another step in improving the security standard of Synology products.
The current weak points
In the latest update, Synology addressed vulnerabilities that would have allowed potential attackers to gain access via the standard ports of the devices and access the file system. According to the reports, it was possible to gain root privileges via exploits and thus take complete control of the devices. Unprotected, these vulnerabilities could have potentially allowed attackers to access sensitive user data, execute malicious code and manipulate network activity.
What is Pwn2Own and why is it important?
Pwn2Own is a competition in which security experts and hackers are invited to uncover vulnerabilities in software and hardware. This competition encourages manufacturers such as Synology to have their products checked for potential security problems by external experts. Since the revelations in Pwn2Own are public, the pressure on companies to quickly fix the reported vulnerabilities is increasing. Synology has increasingly participated in Pwn2Own over the past few years and is thus committed to improving its security measures through regular patches and updates.
Review of previous security breaches
The latest vulnerabilities are just a part of the issues Synology has fixed over the years. Several critical vulnerabilities have already been disclosed in previous Pwn2Own competitions. Some of these vulnerabilities affected Synology’s SMB (Server Message Block) services, which could potentially allow attackers to compromise the network. Other exploits included vulnerabilities in the web interface that could allow unauthorized users to gain access to the system without having physical access to the device. Synology has responded quickly to such reports in the past and released timely updates.
What users should do now
Synology users should ensure that their devices are up to date and have automatic security updates enabled. These updates ensure that the latest security vulnerabilities are closed and the attack surface for potential threats is minimized.
