CVE-2026-103780 in PowerProtect Data Domain
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2026
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, Feature Release versions 7.7.1.0 through 8.8, LTS2024 release versions 7.13.1.0 through 7.13.1.80, LTS2025 release versions 8.3.1.0 through 8.3.1.40, LTS2026 release versions 8.6.1.0 through 8.6.1.20, contain a Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to command execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2026
The identified security flaw resides within Dell PowerProtect Data Domain systems across multiple software release branches including Feature Releases 7.7.1.0 through 8.8 and various Long Term Support releases spanning from LTS2024 version 7.13.1.0 up to 7.13.1.80, as well as LTS2025 versions 8.3.1.0 through 8.3.1.40 and LTS2026 versions 8.6.1.0 through 8.6.1.20. This vulnerability is classified as a stack-based buffer overflow, which represents a critical memory corruption error where the program writes more data to a buffer than it can hold on the call stack. In the context of enterprise storage appliances like PowerProtect Data Domain, such vulnerabilities are particularly severe because they often affect core system services that handle network requests for backup and recovery operations. The presence of this flaw indicates insufficient bounds checking when processing specific input vectors, allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations including return addresses or function pointers stored on the stack.
From a technical perspective, the exploitation mechanism relies on carefully crafted malicious data sent over the network to trigger the overflow condition. When the vulnerable service processes these oversized inputs without proper validation, it corrupts the control flow of the application by overwriting critical stack metadata. This corruption enables an unauthenticated attacker who has remote network access to redirect program execution to arbitrary code injected into the buffer or linked from existing library functions within the system environment. The consequence is full command execution with the privileges of the affected service process, which typically runs with high-level administrative rights on such appliances. This level of compromise allows for complete takeover of the storage infrastructure, enabling data exfiltration, modification of backup integrity, and lateral movement to other systems connected to the same network segment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is profound given the critical role PowerProtect Data Domain plays in organizational disaster recovery strategies. An attacker gaining command execution can manipulate stored backups, potentially encrypting or deleting them as part of a ransomware attack vector while maintaining persistence within the system. Furthermore, because the vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote exploitation, it significantly lowers the barrier to entry for threat actors compared to vulnerabilities requiring prior authentication. This aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-121 which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflows due to incorrect size calculations or lack of boundary checks during memory operations. The attack vector is categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as the ultimate goal involves executing system commands remotely without user interaction or prior access credentials.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching through official Dell support channels to update the firmware or software versions of all affected PowerProtect Data Domain appliances to their respective fixed releases outside the vulnerable ranges listed in the advisory. Until patches are applied, network segmentation should be enforced to restrict direct internet-facing exposure of these systems, ensuring they are only accessible from trusted management networks with strict firewall rules limiting inbound traffic to necessary ports and protocols. Additionally, implementing deep packet inspection or intrusion prevention system signatures targeting known exploitation patterns for this specific buffer overflow can provide a layer of defense against automated scanning tools that frequently probe for such memory corruption vulnerabilities in enterprise storage devices.