CVE-2020-29493
📋 TL;DR
This critical SQL injection vulnerability in Dell EMC Avamar Server's Fitness Analyzer allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands on the backend database. This can lead to unauthorized reading, modification, or deletion of sensitive backup data. Organizations running affected Avamar Server versions 19.1-19.3 are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Dell EMC Avamar Server
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of backup infrastructure leading to data destruction, ransomware deployment, or exfiltration of all backup data including sensitive corporate information.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to backup data, potential data exfiltration, and possible denial of service through database manipulation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if network segmentation prevents external access and database permissions are properly restricted.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection vulnerabilities are typically easy to exploit with readily available tools. The unauthenticated nature makes this particularly dangerous.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 19.3 (specific version not specified in advisory)
Vendor Advisory: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000181806/dsa-2020-272-dell-emc-avamar-server-security-update-for-multiple-vulnerabilities
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review Dell advisory DSA-2020-272. 2. Download and apply the latest Avamar Server update from Dell support. 3. Restart affected services/systems as required. 4. Verify the update was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allRestrict network access to Avamar Server to only trusted management networks
Web Application Firewall
allDeploy WAF with SQL injection protection rules in front of Avamar Server
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately isolate Avamar Server from internet and restrict internal network access to only necessary administrative systems
- Implement strict network monitoring and alerting for SQL injection attempts against the Avamar Server
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Avamar Server version via administrative interface or command line. If version is 19.1, 19.2, or 19.3, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Specific command varies by deployment. Typically available through Avamar administrative console or 'avmgr' command line interface.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version has been updated to a version later than 19.3 through administrative interface or version check commands.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by SQL syntax in web logs
- Unexpected database schema changes
Network Indicators:
- SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests to Avamar Server
- Unusual database connection patterns from web server
SIEM Query:
source="avamar_logs" AND ("sql" OR "injection" OR "union select" OR "' OR '1'='1")