CVE-2011-1740 in Avamar
Summary
by MITRE
EMC Avamar 4.x, 5.0.x, and 6.0.x before 6.0.0-592 allows remote authenticated users to modify client data or obtain sensitive information about product activities by leveraging privileged access to a different domain.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1740 affects EMC Avamar versions 4.x, 5.0.x, and 6.0.x prior to build 6.0.0-592, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to compromise client data integrity and confidentiality. This issue stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within the backup and recovery software, specifically allowing users with privileged access in one domain to manipulate data belonging to clients in different domains. The flaw fundamentally undermines the principle of least privilege and domain isolation that security architects rely upon to prevent lateral movement and unauthorized data access within enterprise environments. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in backup systems where sensitive organizational data is stored and managed, as they can enable attackers to not only access confidential information but also modify critical backup data that could compromise disaster recovery capabilities.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper implementation of cross-domain access controls within the Avamar system architecture. When authenticated users possess elevated privileges in one domain, the system fails to properly enforce boundaries that should prevent them from accessing or modifying client data in other domains. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks, which falls under CWE-285: Improper Authorization, and specifically relates to CWE-284: Improper Access Control. The vulnerability manifests when legitimate administrative users who have access to one domain's management interfaces can leverage their privileges to gain unauthorized access to data belonging to other domains within the same Avamar deployment. This cross-domain privilege escalation allows attackers to either modify backup data, potentially corrupting recovery points, or to extract sensitive information about backup operations, system configurations, and client data structures that could be used in subsequent attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, creating a comprehensive risk scenario that affects both data integrity and confidentiality. Attackers could potentially corrupt backup data, making recovery operations fail or restore compromised data, which directly impacts business continuity and disaster recovery planning. The ability to obtain sensitive information about product activities provides attackers with valuable intelligence about system configurations, backup schedules, and operational patterns that could be leveraged in more sophisticated attacks. Organizations using affected Avamar versions face potential regulatory compliance violations, as this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to personally identifiable information, financial data, or other sensitive corporate information. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access to systems or network proximity, making the vulnerability particularly attractive to external attackers. This vulnerability also represents a significant concern from an attacker's perspective as it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078: Valid Accounts, where attackers exploit legitimate credentials to access systems, and T1566: Phishing, as attackers could potentially use compromised accounts to gain access to privileged domains and then exploit this vulnerability.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to EMC Avamar 6.0.0-592 or later versions where this vulnerability has been addressed through enhanced cross-domain access control mechanisms. Network segmentation should be implemented to limit the scope of potential attacks, and privileged account access should be strictly monitored and restricted to necessary personnel only. Regular security audits should verify that domain isolation controls are properly enforced and that access controls are appropriately configured to prevent unauthorized cross-domain access. Additionally, organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of backup system activities to detect unusual access patterns or unauthorized modifications that could indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process should include reviewing and updating access control policies to ensure that administrative privileges are properly scoped and that domain boundaries are maintained. Security teams should also conduct vulnerability assessments to identify any other systems that might be susceptible to similar cross-domain access control issues, particularly in environments where multiple domains or tenants share backup infrastructure.