CVE-2013-6195 in Storage Data Protector
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in HP Storage Data Protector 6.2X allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via unknown vectors, aka ZDI-CAN-2008.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6195 represents a critical security flaw within HP Storage Data Protector version 6.2X, a widely deployed data protection and backup solution used by enterprises worldwide. This unspecified vulnerability was originally disclosed in 2008 under the ZDI-CAN-2008 identifier and later reclassified in 2013, highlighting the persistent nature of security risks in enterprise storage solutions. The vulnerability exists within the core data protection software that manages backup operations, recovery procedures, and storage management for organizations relying on HP's storage infrastructure. Given the critical role that backup and recovery systems play in enterprise environments, this flaw could potentially compromise the integrity and availability of critical organizational data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability remains unspecified in the public description, which is common for certain classes of flaws that may involve multiple attack vectors or require specific conditions to exploit successfully. However, the classification as allowing remote code execution indicates that attackers could potentially gain unauthorized access to the system and execute malicious code without requiring physical access or legitimate credentials. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability may involve buffer overflows, input validation failures, or other common software weaknesses that could be triggered through network-based attacks. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where storage systems often have extensive network connectivity and may be exposed to various attack surfaces including external networks, internal systems, or even compromised endpoints within the organization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple exploitation scenarios, as it could lead to complete system compromise or denial of service conditions that would severely disrupt business operations. Organizations using HP Storage Data Protector 6.2X would face potential data loss, unauthorized access to backup repositories, and complete service disruption during attack scenarios. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers could target these systems from external networks without requiring local access, making the attack surface significantly larger than traditional local exploits. This characteristic aligns with attack patterns commonly observed in the ATT&CK framework under the initial access and execution phases, where adversaries seek to establish persistent access to target systems through network-based vulnerabilities. The potential for denial of service operations could result in backup failures, data corruption, and extended recovery times that would impact business continuity and disaster recovery procedures.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention from organizations utilizing affected HP Storage Data Protector versions, as the unspecified nature of the flaw makes it particularly challenging to assess risk without comprehensive system analysis. Organizations should prioritize applying vendor-provided patches and updates as soon as they become available, though the lack of specific details about the vulnerability's nature may require additional security assessments to determine the full scope of potential attack vectors. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of the affected systems to unnecessary network traffic, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw places it within the purview of cybersecurity frameworks such as NIST's Cybersecurity Framework, where the focus should be on protecting critical infrastructure components and ensuring robust incident response capabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify patterns consistent with exploitation attempts against known storage management protocols and services. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patches in controlled environments before deployment to production systems, ensuring that the updates do not introduce additional compatibility issues with existing backup operations and storage configurations.