CVE-2026-86401 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 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability. A high privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Information exposure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2026
The Dell PowerProtect Data Domain Management Center software versions ranging from 7.7.1.0 through 8.8, including specific Long Term Support releases such as LTS2024 version 7.13.1.x, LTS2025 version 8.3.1.x, and LTS2026 version 8.6.1.x, are affected by a critical security flaw classified under CWE-89 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command. This vulnerability represents a classic injection attack vector where the application fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input before incorporating it into backend database queries. The core technical deficiency lies in the failure to distinguish between executable code and data within SQL statements, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the structure of these commands by injecting arbitrary SQL syntax through vulnerable parameters.
Exploitation of this vulnerability requires a high privileged attacker with remote access capabilities. This prerequisite indicates that while the attack vector is network-based, it does not offer unauthenticated remote code execution or immediate system compromise for low-privilege users. Instead, an authenticated user possessing elevated administrative rights can leverage their existing session to inject malicious payloads into specific application interfaces or API endpoints that interact directly with the underlying database schema. The attacker constructs input strings containing SQL metacharacters and logical operators designed to alter query logic, bypass intended access controls, or extract sensitive data structures from the management center's repository.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is primarily centered on information exposure rather than immediate system takeover or denial of service. By successfully executing injected commands, an attacker can retrieve confidential data stored within the PowerProtect environment, including configuration details, backup job statuses, user credentials hashes, and potentially sensitive customer metadata managed by the Data Domain infrastructure. This breach compromises the confidentiality integrity of the storage management platform, allowing adversaries to map out network topology, identify high-value targets for subsequent attacks, or gather intelligence that facilitates further lateral movement within an enterprise environment.
From a threat modeling perspective aligned with MITRE ATT&CK frameworks, this vulnerability maps directly to techniques involving SQL injection for data exfiltration and potentially privilege escalation if the database service account possesses excessive permissions on the host operating system. The attack pattern falls under T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter subcategories related to input validation failures and aligns with CWE-89 as a fundamental software design error where developers do not employ parameterized queries or prepared statements to separate code from data effectively.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching of the affected Dell PowerProtect Data Domain Management Center versions to the latest stable release provided by Dell Technologies, which includes corrected input validation logic and enhanced query construction methods. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible due to operational constraints, network segmentation should be enforced to restrict management plane access strictly to authorized administrative subnets with multi-factor authentication enabled. Additionally, deploying Web Application Firewalls configured with specific SQL injection detection signatures can provide a layer of defense by blocking malicious payloads before they reach the vulnerable application components. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on database interaction layers are essential to prevent recurrence of such input validation flaws in future software updates.