CVE-2019-18582 in Data Protection Advisor
Summary
by MITRE
Dell EMC Data Protection Advisor versions 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 18.2 versions prior to patch 83, and 19.1 versions prior to patch 71 contain a server-side template injection vulnerability in the REST API. A remote authenticated malicious user with administrative privileges may potentially exploit this vulnerability to inject malicious report generation scripts in the server. This may lead to OS command execution as the regular user runs the DPA service on the affected system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2024
This vulnerability exists within Dell EMC Data Protection Advisor software where a server-side template injection flaw has been identified in the REST API interface. The vulnerability specifically affects versions 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 18.2 prior to patch 83, and 19.1 prior to patch 71, making it a widespread issue across multiple release lines. The flaw allows for malicious code injection during report generation processes, which represents a critical security weakness in the application's handling of user-supplied data within server-side templates. According to CWE-74, this vulnerability maps directly to "Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component," which occurs when data is not properly sanitized before being used in dynamic content generation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only administrative privileges to exploit, making it accessible to malicious actors who have already gained elevated access to the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to inject malicious scripts during report generation operations, which then get executed within the server environment. When the DPA service runs under regular user privileges, successful exploitation can result in arbitrary operating system command execution, effectively providing the attacker with the ability to perform actions that are normally restricted to system administrators. This type of attack falls under the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, where adversaries leverage legitimate system tools to execute malicious commands. The injection occurs during the template processing phase of report generation, where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being incorporated into server-side execution contexts, creating a path for arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it allows for complete system compromise when an attacker already possesses administrative credentials. The affected systems typically run in enterprise environments where data protection and backup operations are critical, making the potential for data exfiltration, system disruption, or further lateral movement particularly severe. Organizations using these versions of DPA face significant risk of unauthorized access to backup data, potential encryption for ransomware attacks, and complete compromise of their data protection infrastructure. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions including the 18.2 and 19.1 releases indicates a long-standing issue that was not adequately addressed through patch management processes, leaving organizations exposed for extended periods. This vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices and inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data within the application's template engine, which is a fundamental security flaw in web application development.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching to the affected versions, specifically applying patches 83 for 18.2 versions and patch 71 for 19.1 versions. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the DPA service to only authorized administrative users and consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual report generation activities. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the patches in non-production environments before deployment to ensure no service disruption occurs. Additionally, organizations should review their access control policies to ensure that administrative privileges are granted only to necessary personnel and implement principle of least privilege for all users interacting with the DPA service. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation controls as additional layers of defense against similar template injection vulnerabilities in other applications.