CVE-2026-101215 in Unisphere for PowerMax
Summary
by MITRE • 10/14/2026
Dell Unisphere for PowerMax vApp, version(s) 9.2.4.x, contain(s) an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') vulnerability. A high privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Remote execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/14/2026
The identified vulnerability within Dell Unisphere for PowerMax vApp versions 9.2.4.x represents a critical security flaw classified as Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command, commonly known as OS Command Injection. This type of vulnerability arises when software constructs operating system commands using externally influenced input without properly validating or neutralizing special elements that could alter the intended command structure. In this specific instance, the application fails to adequately sanitize user-supplied data before passing it to underlying shell commands, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject arbitrary operating system instructions. The severity of this flaw is compounded by its potential impact on remote systems, as it allows for direct interaction with the host environment rather than being confined to the application layer alone.
From an operational perspective, the exploitation of this vulnerability requires a high-privileged attacker who already possesses remote access capabilities. This prerequisite indicates that the threat actor likely has valid credentials or has previously compromised lower-level accounts within the management infrastructure. Once authenticated and granted sufficient privileges, the attacker can leverage the command injection flaw to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system hosting the Unisphere for PowerMax service. The consequences of such exploitation are severe, potentially leading to complete remote code execution with the same level of access as the vulnerable application process. This could result in unauthorized data exfiltration, modification or destruction of critical storage management configurations, and further lateral movement within the network infrastructure by pivoting through compromised systems.
The technical nature of this flaw aligns directly with CWE-78, which defines improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command. It also maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, specifically sub-technique 004 for Command and Scripting Interpreter abuse. Attackers typically exploit such vulnerabilities by injecting shell metacharacters such as semicolons, ampersands, or pipe symbols into input fields that are subsequently passed to system calls like execve in Linux environments or CreateProcess in Windows environments. By carefully crafting these inputs, an attacker can terminate the intended command and append malicious payloads, effectively hijacking the execution flow of the administrative interface. This bypasses application-level security controls because the injection occurs at a layer below where input validation is typically enforced within the web or API framework.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must prioritize immediate patching to the latest stable version of Dell Unisphere for PowerMax that addresses this specific command injection issue, as vendor-provided updates are designed to implement proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible due to operational constraints, network segmentation should be enforced to restrict access to the management interface exclusively from trusted administrative subnets. Additionally, implementing strict role-based access control ensures that only essential personnel have high-privileged remote access, thereby reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation. Security monitoring solutions should also be configured to detect anomalous command execution patterns or unusual outbound connections originating from the Unisphere server, which may indicate successful exploitation of this vulnerability. Regular audits of input validation logic across all administrative interfaces are recommended to prevent similar injection flaws in other components of the storage management ecosystem.