CVE-2019-17272 in ONTAP Select Deploy Administration Utility
Summary
by MITRE
All versions of ONTAP Select Deploy administration utility are susceptible to a vulnerability which when successfully exploited could allow an administrative user to escalate their privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-17272 affects the ONTAP Select Deploy administration utility across all its versions, presenting a critical privilege escalation risk within NetApp's storage management infrastructure. This flaw specifically targets administrative users who are already authenticated within the system, creating a pathway for unauthorized elevation of privileges that could compromise the entire storage environment. The vulnerability resides within the administrative utility's privilege handling mechanisms, where insufficient validation or enforcement of access controls allows malicious actors to gain elevated permissions beyond their intended scope. The impact extends beyond simple administrative convenience as this privilege escalation could enable attackers to manipulate storage configurations, access sensitive data, or disrupt critical storage operations that maintain business continuity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate privilege validation within the administration utility's code execution flow, where administrative commands or operations do not properly verify the user's authorization level before executing privileged functions. This represents a classic security flaw that aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper privileges and access control mechanisms in software systems. The flaw operates through the manipulation of administrative interfaces or command sequences that should normally be restricted to higher-privilege users, but instead remain accessible to users with lower administrative clearance. Attackers could exploit this by crafting specific administrative commands or by manipulating the utility's interface to bypass standard access controls that should prevent privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it creates an attack vector that could lead to complete system compromise when combined with other exploitation techniques. Administrative users who are already authenticated within the system become potential targets for lateral movement and privilege escalation attacks, allowing attackers to gain full control over the storage infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on NetApp's ONTAP Select Deploy for their storage virtualization needs, as it undermines the fundamental security assumptions of administrative access controls. The risk is amplified when considering that the vulnerability affects all versions of the utility, indicating a persistent flaw in the design rather than a temporary coding error that might be quickly patched.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting administrative access to the ONTAP Select Deploy utility, implementing network segmentation to isolate administrative interfaces, and conducting comprehensive access control reviews. The vulnerability's persistence across all versions necessitates a proactive approach to patch management and system hardening. Security teams should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual administrative activities or privilege escalation attempts within the storage environment. Additionally, organizations should review their administrative user permissions and implement the principle of least privilege to minimize the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. This vulnerability exemplifies the importance of proper access control implementation and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers privilege escalation through the exploitation of system vulnerabilities. The flaw demonstrates how inadequate access control validation can create persistent security weaknesses that require comprehensive remediation strategies rather than simple patch deployment.