CVE-2026-24169 in Unified Fabric Manager Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2026
NVIDIA UFM Enterprise contains a vulnerability in the plugin management API, where an authenticated user with low privileges could inject code by sending a specially crafted API request. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to code execution, escalation of privileges and information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2026
The NVIDIA Unified Fabric Manager (UFM) Enterprise platform serves as a critical component in high-performance computing and data center environments, providing centralized management for InfiniBand networks. Within this ecosystem, the plugin management API plays a pivotal role in extending functionality by allowing administrators to load custom scripts or modules that automate tasks such as topology discovery, performance monitoring, and fault detection. This specific vulnerability resides within the authentication and authorization logic governing access to these plugins. The flaw stems from an insufficient validation of user roles when processing requests intended for plugin installation or modification. While the system correctly restricts certain administrative actions to high-privilege users, it fails to adequately enforce role-based access control on all endpoints associated with plugin management. Consequently, an attacker possessing only low-level privileges can bypass these restrictions by crafting specific API calls that exploit this logical gap in permission verification.
From a technical perspective, the core issue is classified as an improper authorization vulnerability where the application does not properly verify whether the authenticated user has sufficient rights to perform the requested action on the plugin management interface. By sending a specially crafted HTTP request with manipulated parameters or headers, a low-privileged user can trick the server into executing code injection operations that are normally reserved for system administrators. This type of flaw is commonly associated with CWE-269, which denotes Improper Privilege Control, and often intersects with CWE-74 if the injected content involves external control of file names or paths leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability allows an attacker to introduce malicious payloads into the plugin directory or configuration files that are subsequently executed by the UFM service process, thereby gaining a foothold within the management plane.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for privilege escalation and lateral movement within the data center infrastructure. A successful exploit enables an authenticated low-privilege user to achieve arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the UFM Enterprise application process. This effectively results in an escalation of privileges from a standard user account to that of a system administrator or service account, depending on how the UFM daemon is configured and executed. Once code execution is achieved, the attacker can compromise the integrity of the network management infrastructure, potentially disrupting connectivity for thousands of servers and storage devices managed by InfiniBand fabrics. Furthermore, the compromised environment may lead to significant information disclosure as the attacker gains access to sensitive configuration data, credentials stored within the platform, and detailed topology maps that reveal the structure and critical assets of the organization's high-performance computing cluster.
In terms of threat modeling, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Initial Access via Valid Accounts and Privilege Escalation through Abuse of Elevation Control Mechanisms. An adversary could leverage existing low-privilege credentials obtained through phishing or credential stuffing attacks to exploit this flaw without needing initial external access, making it a potent internal threat vector. The ability to inject code also facilitates persistence mechanisms where the attacker can maintain long-term control over the management plane by installing backdoor plugins that survive service restarts and configuration changes. This transforms a simple authentication bypass into a comprehensive compromise of the network's operational integrity, allowing for potential denial-of-service attacks or further exploitation of connected systems through compromised management commands.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary defense is to apply the security patches provided by NVIDIA that address the authorization checks within the plugin management API. Organizations should ensure their UFM Enterprise instances are updated to the latest secure version as soon as possible. In addition to patching, implementing strict network segmentation can limit exposure; the UFM management interface should only be accessible from trusted administrative subnets and never exposed directly to untrusted networks or the public internet. Role-based access control policies should be reviewed regularly to ensure that least privilege principles are strictly enforced across all API endpoints, not just high-level functions. Furthermore, enabling comprehensive audit logging for plugin installation events can help detect suspicious activity indicative of exploitation attempts, allowing security teams to respond rapidly before full compromise occurs.