CVE-2024-25964 in PowerScale OneFS
Summary
by MITRE • 03/25/2024
Dell PowerScale OneFS 9.5.0.x through 9.7.0.x contain a covert timing channel vulnerability. A remote unauthenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-25964 affects Dell PowerScale OneFS storage systems running versions 9.5.0.x through 9.7.0.x, representing a significant security weakness that could be exploited by remote attackers without authentication. This issue manifests as a covert timing channel that allows adversaries to infer sensitive information through subtle variations in system response times, potentially enabling them to perform unauthorized actions that could compromise system availability.
The technical flaw resides in the system's handling of certain network requests and response mechanisms within the OneFS operating environment, where timing variations in processing different types of input data create observable patterns that can be analyzed by attackers. This timing channel vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the inherent delays in system processing to extract information about internal operations, making it particularly dangerous because it does not require any authentication credentials to initiate the exploitation process. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-347, which addresses improper handling of timing channels, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks that exploit timing variations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as it could potentially enable attackers to gather intelligence about the system's internal state and processing patterns. Remote unauthenticated attackers can exploit this weakness to disrupt normal operations, potentially causing cascading failures in storage services and affecting data availability for legitimate users. The covert nature of the timing channel means that detection of such attacks would be particularly challenging, as they do not generate obvious network traffic patterns or error conditions that security monitoring systems might readily identify.
Organizations utilizing Dell PowerScale systems in this affected version range should prioritize immediate remediation through official firmware updates provided by Dell, as the vulnerability represents a critical threat to system availability and potentially information disclosure. Network segmentation and monitoring of unusual timing patterns in system responses should be implemented as temporary mitigations while permanent solutions are deployed. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and the need for robust timing channel mitigation strategies in storage and networking infrastructure to prevent similar issues from arising in future deployments.