CVE-2023-28808 in Hybrid SAN
Summary
by MITRE • 04/12/2023
Some Hikvision Hybrid SAN/Cluster Storage products have an access control vulnerability which can be used to obtain the admin permission. The attacker can exploit the vulnerability by sending crafted messages to the affected devices.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-28808 affects Hikvision Hybrid SAN/Cluster Storage products, representing a critical access control flaw that allows unauthorized users to escalate privileges and gain administrative permissions. This weakness resides within the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the storage systems, specifically targeting the way the devices handle incoming communication requests. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of access control tokens and session management protocols, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the system's permission structure through carefully constructed network messages. Such a flaw fundamentally undermines the security model of the storage infrastructure, potentially allowing attackers to bypass standard security controls and assume full administrative control over the affected systems.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting and transmitting specially designed network packets or messages to the targeted Hikvision storage devices. These crafted communications leverage weaknesses in the system's authentication processing, potentially involving manipulation of session identifiers, token validation routines, or authorization header parsing. The flaw likely exists in the device's web interface or management protocols that handle administrative access requests, where insufficient input validation allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that alter the access control decision-making process. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a classic privilege escalation vector that enables attackers to move from standard user access to administrative control. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it operates at the network level, requiring minimal local access and potentially allowing remote exploitation.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-28808 extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as administrative privileges provide attackers with complete control over the storage infrastructure. This includes the ability to modify or delete critical data, alter storage configurations, manage user accounts, and potentially access sensitive information stored within the SAN/Cluster environment. Organizations utilizing these storage systems face significant risks including data breaches, system compromise, and potential disruption of business operations. The vulnerability could enable attackers to establish persistent access points, create backdoors, or exfiltrate data from the storage environment. Given that SAN and cluster storage systems typically house critical business data and support core infrastructure operations, the compromise of such systems can result in substantial financial losses, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage. The vulnerability's potential for remote exploitation makes it particularly dangerous as attackers can target these systems from external networks without requiring physical access or prior authentication.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest firmware updates from Hikvision, which typically contain patches addressing the access control flaw. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the storage management interfaces, limiting access to trusted administrative networks only. Regular monitoring of network traffic for suspicious patterns and unauthorized access attempts should be established, with intrusion detection systems configured to identify potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access and regularly reviewing access logs can help detect unauthorized privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation, making it essential for security teams to monitor for unusual administrative access patterns and ensure proper principle of least privilege enforcement. Organizations should also consider conducting security assessments of their storage infrastructure to identify similar vulnerabilities and implement comprehensive security monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts.