CVE-2019-18588 in Unisphere for PowerMax
Summary
by MITRE
Dell EMC Unisphere for PowerMax versions prior to 9.1.0.9, Dell EMC Unisphere for PowerMax versions prior to 9.0.2.16, and Dell EMC PowerMax OS 5978.221.221 and 5978.479.479 contain a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. An authenticated malicious user may potentially exploit this vulnerability to inject javascript code and affect other authenticated users' sessions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-18588 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Dell EMC Unisphere for PowerMax and PowerMax OS software components. This vulnerability resides within the web-based management interface of storage systems, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these platforms for their data infrastructure management. The affected versions include specific releases of Unisphere for PowerMax prior to 9.1.0.9 and 9.0.2.16, alongside PowerMax OS versions 5978.221.221 and 5978.479.479, indicating a widespread impact across multiple software releases within the Dell EMC ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web interface components of the storage management platform. An authenticated attacker with legitimate credentials can exploit this flaw by injecting malicious javascript code into input fields or parameters that are subsequently rendered in web pages viewed by other authenticated users. This particular weakness allows for session hijacking and potential privilege escalation attacks, as the injected code executes within the context of other users' browser sessions. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which classifies cross-site scripting as a critical weakness in web applications, where user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, creating potential pathways for more severe attacks within enterprise storage environments. When exploited, the XSS vulnerability enables attackers to manipulate authenticated user sessions, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive storage configurations, data, or management functions. The authenticated nature of the exploit means that attackers must first obtain valid credentials, but this requirement does not mitigate the overall risk since legitimate users' sessions become compromised. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of storage management operations, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, configuration changes, or disruption of storage services.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided security patches for Unisphere for PowerMax versions 9.1.0.9 and 9.0.2.16, as well as PowerMax OS versions 5978.221.221 and 5978.479.479. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patched environments to ensure no regression in functionality while maintaining operational continuity. Additional defensive measures include implementing web application firewalls, conducting regular security assessments of the management interfaces, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect anomalous user activities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation through web application exploitation, emphasizing the need for layered security controls beyond traditional network perimeter defenses.