CVE-2026-25907 in PowerScale OneFS
Summary
by MITRE • 03/04/2026
Dell PowerScale OneFS, version 9.13.0.0, contains an overly restrictive account lockout mechanism vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-25907 affects Dell PowerScale OneFS version 9.13.0.0 and represents a critical weakness in the system's account lockout mechanism design. This flaw stems from overly restrictive parameters that govern how the system handles failed authentication attempts, creating a potential pathway for malicious actors to disrupt normal service operations. The vulnerability exists within the authentication subsystem of the PowerScale storage platform, which is widely deployed in enterprise environments for data storage and management. Organizations relying on this system for critical data infrastructure may face significant operational disruptions if exploited successfully.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies in the implementation of account lockout policies that are excessively aggressive in their enforcement mechanisms. When authentication attempts fail, the system's response mechanism may lock out accounts in a manner that does not adequately differentiate between legitimate authentication failures and potential malicious activity. This overly restrictive approach can result in legitimate users being locked out of the system while simultaneously creating opportunities for attackers to systematically disable user accounts through repeated failed authentication attempts. The vulnerability specifically impacts the system's ability to maintain availability and access control, as the lockout mechanism becomes a vector for service disruption rather than a security enhancement.
From an operational standpoint, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access denial to encompass broader service availability concerns. An unauthenticated attacker with remote access capabilities can leverage this weakness to perform denial of service attacks against the PowerScale system, potentially affecting critical data storage operations. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access or elevated privileges to cause disruption, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where such systems are often exposed to external networks. Organizations may experience reduced system availability, increased administrative overhead for account recovery, and potential data access interruptions that could affect business continuity.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with several established frameworks including CWE-1074 which addresses overly restrictive account lockout mechanisms and relates to ATT&CK technique T1489 which covers powering off systems or services. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including reviewing and adjusting account lockout policies to ensure they balance security requirements with system availability. Recommended actions include configuring more reasonable lockout thresholds, implementing account lockout alerting mechanisms, and ensuring proper network segmentation to limit potential attack surfaces. Additionally, administrators should monitor authentication logs for unusual patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts and maintain regular backups of critical system configurations to facilitate rapid recovery if attacks occur. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of balancing security controls with operational resilience, particularly in enterprise storage environments where system availability is paramount to business operations.