CVE-2016-6667 in OnCommand Unified Manager for Clustered Data ONTAP
Summary
by MITRE
NetApp OnCommand Unified Manager for Clustered Data ONTAP 6.3 through 6.4P1 contain a default privileged account, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6667 affects NetApp OnCommand Unified Manager for Clustered Data ONTAP versions 6.3 through 6.4P1, representing a critical security flaw that stems from the presence of a default privileged account within the software implementation. This default account configuration creates an inherent security weakness that persists across multiple versions of the unified management platform, making it a persistent threat vector for malicious actors targeting enterprise storage environments. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-798 as the use of hard-coded credentials, which directly violates security best practices and industry standards for secure software development. The existence of default privileged accounts in enterprise management software represents a fundamental design flaw that significantly increases the attack surface and provides attackers with elevated privileges from the outset.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through unspecified attack vectors that leverage the default privileged account to gain unauthorized access to the management interface. Attackers can potentially execute arbitrary code on the target system by utilizing these hardcoded credentials, which bypasses normal authentication mechanisms and provides direct access to critical system functions. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways may exist for exploitation, including but not limited to network-based attacks, credential reuse scenarios, or lateral movement within compromised environments. This vulnerability specifically targets the management plane of the storage infrastructure, allowing attackers to manipulate storage configurations, access sensitive data, and potentially disrupt business operations through unauthorized administrative actions.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-6667 extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges on the target system. This capability allows threat actors to establish persistent access, escalate privileges further within the network, and potentially compromise the entire storage infrastructure managed by the affected unified manager. The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to perform actions such as modifying storage policies, accessing confidential data, disabling security controls, and potentially using the compromised system as a pivot point for attacking other networked systems. Organizations may experience significant operational disruption, data breaches, and compliance violations when this vulnerability is exploited, particularly in environments where storage management systems contain sensitive corporate data and critical business information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. Organizations should immediately update to the latest available patches from NetApp that resolve the default privileged account issue and eliminate hardcoded credentials from the software implementation. System administrators must conduct comprehensive inventory audits to identify all instances of the affected software versions and ensure complete remediation across the enterprise environment. The implementation of principle of least privilege should be enforced by disabling or removing default accounts, and organizations should adopt robust credential management practices that align with NIST SP 800-53 security controls. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts to management interfaces, while regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise systems. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure configuration management and proper credential handling in enterprise software systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage.