CVE-2017-4986 in ESRS VE
Summary
by MITRE
EMC ESRS VE 3.18 or earlier contains Authentication Bypass that could potentially be exploited by malicious users to compromise the affected system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-4986 affects EMC Enterprise Storage Replication Service VE version 3.18 and earlier, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that fundamentally compromises the security posture of affected systems. This vulnerability resides within the authentication mechanisms of the EMC ESRS VE platform, which is designed to provide storage replication services for enterprise environments. The flaw allows malicious actors to bypass the authentication process entirely, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive storage infrastructure and data replication operations.
The technical nature of this authentication bypass stems from improper validation of authentication credentials within the ESRS VE service architecture. Attackers can exploit this weakness to access the system without proper authorization, potentially gaining administrative privileges or read/write access to replicated storage volumes. The vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege and violates fundamental security requirements for access control mechanisms. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in authentication mechanisms where the system fails to properly verify user credentials, making it susceptible to unauthorized access attempts.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise storage environments that rely on EMC ESRS VE for data protection and replication services. Compromised systems could result in data loss, unauthorized data access, or manipulation of replication processes that could affect business continuity. The attack surface extends beyond simple credential theft to include potential disruption of critical storage operations and compromise of backup and disaster recovery procedures. Organizations using affected versions face elevated risk of data breaches and operational disruptions that could impact regulatory compliance and business operations.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the credential access and privilege escalation domains, where attackers seek to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain system access. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of broader attack chains that could lead to lateral movement within storage networks or integration with other enterprise systems. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in environments where storage replication services are critical for business operations and where traditional network segmentation may not prevent lateral movement.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to EMC ESRS VE version 3.19 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the authentication bypass vulnerability. Network segmentation should be enhanced to limit access to affected systems, and additional monitoring should be implemented to detect unauthorized access attempts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected software within their environments and implement proper access controls to minimize the impact of potential exploitation. Regular security audits and patch management processes should be strengthened to prevent similar vulnerabilities from remaining unaddressed in the future.