CVE-2018-5497 in Clustered Data ONTAP
Summary
by MITRE
Clustered Data ONTAP versions prior to 9.1P16, 9.3P10 and 9.4P5 are susceptible to a vulnerability which discloses sensitive information to an unauthorized user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5497 affects Clustered Data ONTAP storage systems and represents a significant information disclosure weakness that could enable unauthorized access to sensitive system data. This flaw exists in multiple software versions including those prior to 9.1P16, 9.3P10, and 9.4P5, indicating it is a persistent issue affecting several release branches of the storage operating system. The vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure as defined by the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, specifically categorized as CWE-200 which encompasses weaknesses that result in the exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. The affected systems are particularly vulnerable during normal operational procedures when legitimate access controls should prevent unauthorized data access.
The technical implementation flaw stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the clustered data ontap system that fails to properly validate user permissions when processing certain requests. This vulnerability allows an attacker with minimal privileges or even unauthenticated access to potentially extract sensitive information that should remain protected within the system. The flaw operates at the application layer where the system does not adequately enforce authorization checks for specific data retrieval operations, creating an avenue for information leakage that could include system configurations, user credentials, or other sensitive operational data. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083 which involves discovering system information through various means including information gathering techniques that exploit weak access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure as it creates potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks that could leverage the disclosed information for privilege escalation or further system compromise. Attackers could use the leaked information to understand system architecture, identify potential attack vectors, and develop more targeted approaches against the storage infrastructure. The vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where clustered data ontap systems manage critical storage resources and sensitive corporate data, making the information disclosure a significant concern for organizations with strict compliance requirements. Organizations using affected versions may experience increased risk of data breaches, regulatory violations, and operational disruptions when this vulnerability is exploited.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate software updates to the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, specifically versions 9.1P16, 9.3P10, and 9.4P5 which contain the necessary security fixes. System administrators should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems and implement patch management procedures to ensure timely deployment of security updates. Additional defensive measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to storage systems, strengthening authentication mechanisms, and monitoring for unusual access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review their access control policies and ensure that least privilege principles are properly enforced within their clustered data ontap environments to minimize potential impact from similar vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patches in non-production environments before deployment to avoid operational disruptions while ensuring complete protection against this information disclosure vulnerability.