CVE-2022-34389 in SupportAssist
Summary
by MITRE • 02/11/2023
Dell SupportAssist contains a rate limit bypass issues in screenmeet API third party component. An unauthenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability and impersonate a legitimate dell customer to a dell support technician.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-34389 resides within Dell SupportAssist's integration with the ScreenMeet API third-party component, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the authentication and authorization mechanisms of Dell's remote support infrastructure. This issue manifests as a rate limit bypass that allows unauthorized actors to circumvent legitimate access controls, potentially enabling malicious users to gain unauthorized access to support sessions that should be restricted to verified Dell customers. The vulnerability specifically targets the API endpoint authentication logic within the ScreenMeet integration, creating a pathway for attackers to exploit the system's rate limiting controls without proper verification.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of API request rates and lack of proper session management within the ScreenMeet component integrated into Dell SupportAssist. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending multiple requests at an accelerated rate, effectively bypassing the intended rate limiting controls that should prevent excessive API usage. This bypass mechanism operates at the application layer, specifically targeting the API rate limiting enforcement logic rather than exploiting network-level vulnerabilities. The flaw aligns with CWE-307, which addresses improper restriction of excessive number of repeated attempts, and represents a significant deviation from secure coding practices that should enforce proper rate limiting mechanisms to prevent abuse.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, creating a potential vector for sophisticated social engineering attacks and impersonation scenarios. An unauthenticated attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could establish fraudulent support sessions, potentially gaining access to sensitive customer information, system configurations, or remote access to customer devices. This creates a direct pathway for attackers to impersonate legitimate Dell customers, undermining the trust model that supports the entire Dell support ecosystem and potentially enabling more severe attacks such as data exfiltration, system compromise, or further exploitation of customer environments. The vulnerability directly impacts the ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers credential harvesting through social engineering, and represents a critical weakness in the authentication and authorization chain that should protect sensitive support interactions.
Organizations implementing Dell SupportAssist solutions face significant risk from this vulnerability, particularly in environments where remote support is frequently utilized and customer data confidentiality is paramount. The exploitability of this vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise, making it attractive to threat actors seeking to gain unauthorized access to support systems. Dell's responsibility for the third-party component integration means that customers may be exposed to this risk even when following proper security protocols, highlighting the importance of third-party security assessments and continuous monitoring of integrated components. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical need for comprehensive security testing of third-party integrations and proper implementation of rate limiting controls that cannot be easily bypassed by unauthorized actors. Mitigation efforts should focus on immediate patch deployment, enhanced monitoring of API access patterns, and implementation of additional authentication layers to prevent unauthorized impersonation attempts.