CVE-2026-90720 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 an Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value vulnerability. A high privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Protection mechanism bypass.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the Dell PowerProtect Data Domain software ecosystem, specifically affecting a broad range of releases including 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, and LTS2026 release versions 8.6.1.0 through 8.6.1.20. This vulnerability is classified as an Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value, which fundamentally undermines the system's ability to verify that data has not been altered or corrupted during storage or processing operations. In enterprise backup and recovery environments like PowerProtect Data Domain, integrity checks are critical for ensuring that backed-up data remains consistent with its original state upon restoration. The failure to properly validate these checksums or cryptographic hashes creates a significant gap in the security architecture of the appliance.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability allows an attacker who has already gained local access and possesses high privileges on the system to manipulate integrity verification mechanisms. Typically, such systems rely on robust algorithms to detect any unauthorized modifications to stored data blocks. When the validation process is flawed, it may accept tampered or corrupted data as valid without raising alerts or rejecting the operation. This defect effectively neutralizes a core defense mechanism designed to protect against data corruption and certain forms of malicious modification. The exploitation does not require remote network access but rather local system interaction, which implies that an attacker must have already compromised the host through other means, such as exploiting weak authentication credentials, leveraging another local privilege escalation flaw, or having physical access to the appliance console.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for Protection mechanism bypass. In a data protection context, integrity validation serves as a final safeguard before data is marked as recoverable and safe from ransomware or accidental deletion. If an attacker can bypass these checks, they may be able to inject malicious code into backup streams that will later be restored by the organization, leading to potential lateral movement within the network upon recovery. Alternatively, it could allow for silent corruption of critical backups, rendering them unusable during a disaster recovery scenario and causing significant business disruption. The ability to bypass protection mechanisms means that even if other security controls are in place, the fundamental trustworthiness of the stored data is compromised, which violates the core principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability required by regulatory frameworks such as GDPR or HIPAA when handling sensitive records.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-354, which describes Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value, indicating that the software does not sufficiently verify data integrity before processing it for critical operations. Furthermore, in terms of attack tactics, this flaw facilitates techniques associated with MITRE ATT&CK category T1078, specifically Valid Accounts and potentially T1496 Resource Hijacking if used to maintain persistence through corrupted system files or backups. It also touches upon the broader concept of Defense Evasion by allowing an attacker to bypass integrity monitoring controls that are typically part of a defense-in-depth strategy.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running affected versions of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain must prioritize applying the latest security patches provided by Dell Technologies immediately. Since exploitation requires high-privilege local access, it is imperative to enforce strict access control policies on these appliances. This includes restricting physical and console access to authorized personnel only, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts where supported, and regularly auditing user permissions to ensure that no unnecessary elevated privileges are assigned. Additionally, organizations should verify the integrity of their existing backups using independent verification tools or cross-checks against source systems whenever possible, as a precautionary measure until all affected instances are patched. Regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on local privilege escalation vectors can help identify other potential entry points that could lead to exploitation of this specific flaw.