CVE-2015-7887 in SnapCenter Server
Summary
by MITRE
NetApp SnapCenter Server 1.0 allows remote authenticated users to list and delete backups.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/04/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7887 affects NetApp SnapCenter Server version 1.0 and represents a significant authorization flaw that undermines the security posture of backup management systems. This issue stems from insufficient access controls within the SnapCenter Server application, which permits authenticated users to perform unauthorized operations on backup data. The vulnerability specifically enables remote authenticated users to enumerate and remove backup files, effectively compromising the integrity and availability of critical data protection mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic privilege escalation and data exposure issue where the authentication mechanism properly validates user credentials but fails to enforce proper authorization checks for backup operations. The flaw exists in the server-side processing logic that handles backup listing and deletion requests, allowing authenticated users to manipulate backup data through API endpoints or web interfaces without proper access controls. This weakness creates a scenario where users with legitimate access to the SnapCenter Server can exploit their authenticated session to perform destructive operations on backup repositories that should be restricted to administrators or authorized personnel only.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risks for organizations relying on SnapCenter Server for backup management and disaster recovery operations. Remote authenticated attackers can systematically enumerate available backups, identify critical data sets, and subsequently delete them, potentially leading to complete data loss or extended recovery periods. The remote nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or network, making the attack surface significantly larger. This capability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the fundamental purpose of backup systems, which should provide protection against data loss rather than serving as attack vectors.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates, implementing network segmentation to limit access to SnapCenter Server, and reviewing user access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel have administrative privileges. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1485, which covers data destruction and data manipulation. Security teams should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging for backup operations to detect unauthorized access attempts and maintain audit trails for compliance purposes. The incident highlights the importance of proper access control implementation in backup management systems and demonstrates how authentication alone is insufficient without robust authorization enforcement mechanisms.