CVE-2025-57790 in CommCell
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2025
An issue was discovered in Commvault before 11.36.60. A security vulnerability has been identified that allows remote attackers to perform unauthorized file system access through a path traversal issue. The vulnerability may lead to remote code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/11/2025
The vulnerability identified in Commvault software prior to version 11.36.60 represents a critical path traversal flaw that exposes the system to unauthorized file system access and potential remote code execution. This security weakness stems from insufficient input validation within the application's file handling mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to manipulate file paths and navigate beyond intended directories. The vulnerability specifically affects the backup and recovery management functionalities where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being processed in file system operations.
The technical implementation of this flaw enables attackers to exploit directory traversal sequences such as ../ or ..\ to access files and directories outside the intended scope of the application's file system operations. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks. The flaw occurs when the application fails to adequately validate or sanitize file paths before using them in system calls, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the intended file access behavior.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations relying on Commvault for data protection and backup management. Attackers who successfully exploit this issue could gain access to sensitive backup data, system configuration files, and potentially execute arbitrary code on the affected systems. The remote code execution capability means that attackers could establish persistent access, escalate privileges, or deploy additional malicious payloads within the network environment. This vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise backup infrastructure where Commvault serves as a central management platform for critical data protection operations.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends across all Commvault components that process user input for file system operations, including but not limited to backup job management, file restore capabilities, and system administration interfaces. Organizations using older versions of Commvault are at risk of having their backup repositories compromised, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, or disruption of critical backup operations. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require local system access to leverage the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where backup systems are accessible over the network.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching to Commvault version 11.36.60 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes to address the path traversal vulnerability. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to Commvault management interfaces and consider implementing additional input validation controls at the network level. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the patched environment to ensure that the security fix does not introduce regressions in backup and recovery operations. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious file access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise systems. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for remote code execution and T1566 for credential access through unauthorized file system access, making it a significant concern for organizations following cybersecurity frameworks and threat modeling approaches.