CVE-2026-86391 in PowerProtect Data Domain Management Center
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2026
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain Management Center, 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 an Authentication Bypass by Spoofing vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2026
The Dell PowerProtect Data Domain Management Center software, encompassing Feature Release versions 7.7.1.0 through 8.8 as well as specific Long Term Support releases including LTS2024 version 7.13.1.0 to 7.13.1.80, LTS2025 version 8.3.1.0 to 8.3.1.40, and LTS2026 version 8.6.1.0 to 8.6.1.20, is susceptible to a critical authentication bypass vulnerability classified under the Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-287. This flaw allows an attacker with low privileged access and remote connectivity to manipulate or spoof authentication mechanisms within the management interface. The core technical deficiency lies in how the application validates user credentials during specific administrative operations, potentially failing to enforce strict identity verification protocols when processing requests from untrusted sources. By exploiting this weakness, a malicious actor can bypass standard login procedures, effectively gaining unauthorized access to sensitive system configurations and data without possessing valid high-level credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is primarily characterized by the potential for Denial of Service conditions within the management infrastructure. While authentication bypasses often lead to privilege escalation or data exfiltration in many contexts, the specific manifestation described here emphasizes service disruption. An attacker leveraging this flaw can likely trigger system instability, crash critical background services, or exhaust available resources through malformed requests that exploit the spoofing mechanism. This results in a loss of availability for the Data Domain Management Center, which serves as the central point for monitoring and managing Dell PowerProtect storage arrays. Consequently, administrators may lose visibility into backup operations, replication status, and system health metrics, hindering their ability to maintain data integrity and business continuity protocols during an active incident.
From a threat intelligence perspective, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Initial Access and Defense Evasion, specifically those involving credential spoofing or bypassing authentication mechanisms such as T1078 Valid Accounts when combined with other exploitation vectors like request manipulation. The ability of a low-privileged user to escalate their effective privileges through spoofing represents a significant breach in the principle of least privilege, which is fundamental to secure system architecture. This scenario highlights the risks associated with complex management interfaces that may not adequately sanitize inputs or verify session tokens against expected state transitions, allowing attackers to inject malicious payloads that disrupt service availability rather than merely stealing data.
To mitigate this risk, organizations must immediately apply the latest security patches provided by Dell for all affected versions of PowerProtect Data Domain Management Center. It is imperative to review version compatibility matrices and ensure that systems are updated beyond the vulnerable ranges specified in the advisory. In addition to patching, administrators should enforce strict network segmentation policies to limit remote access to management interfaces only from trusted IP addresses or secure administrative workstations. Implementing multi-factor authentication where supported can add an additional layer of verification that may mitigate some forms of credential spoofing attempts. Furthermore, continuous monitoring for anomalous login patterns and unusual resource consumption spikes associated with the management center will aid in early detection of exploitation attempts before they result in significant service disruption or data compromise.