As many as 29,000 network storage devices manufactured by Taiwan-based QNAP are vulnerable to hacks that are easy to carry out and give unauthenticated users on the Internet complete control, a security firm has warned.

The vulnerability, which carries a severity rating of 9.8 out of a possible 10, came to light on Monday, when QNAP issued a patch and urged users to install it. Tracked as CVE-2022-27596, the vulnerability makes it possible for remote hackers to perform a SQL injection, a type of attack that targets web applications that use the Structured Query Language. SQL injection vulnerabilities are exploited by entering specially crafted characters or scripts into the search fields, login fields, or URLs of a buggy website. The injections allow for the modifying, stealing, or deleting of data or the gaining of administrative control over the systems running the vulnerable apps.

QNAP’s advisory on Monday said that network-attached storage devices running QTS versions before 5.0.1.2234 and QuTS Hero versions prior to h5.0.1.2248 were vulnerable. The post also provided instructions for updating to the patched versions.