CVE-2024-28980
📋 TL;DR
Dell RecoverPoint for VMs versions 6.0.x contain a broken cryptographic algorithm vulnerability in SSH that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code. This affects organizations using vulnerable versions of Dell RecoverPoint for VMs for virtual machine data protection and recovery. The vulnerability stems from using weak cryptographic algorithms that can be exploited to compromise SSH connections.
💻 Affected Systems
- Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise allowing attacker to execute arbitrary code, access sensitive data, disrupt recovery operations, and potentially pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to the RecoverPoint management interface leading to data exposure, configuration changes, or service disruption.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if SSH access is restricted to trusted networks and proper network segmentation is implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
The advisory states 'unauthenticated attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability' suggesting relatively straightforward exploitation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to version 6.1 or later as specified in Dell advisory
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review Dell advisory DSA-2024-429. 2. Download and apply the latest patch from Dell Support. 3. Restart affected RecoverPoint services. 4. Verify successful update and functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict SSH Network Access
linuxLimit SSH access to trusted IP addresses using firewall rules to reduce attack surface.
# Example iptables rule: iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -s TRUSTED_IP -j ACCEPT
# Example iptables rule: iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j DROP
Disable SSH if Not Required
linuxTemporarily disable SSH service if not actively needed for operations.
systemctl stop sshd
systemctl disable sshd
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate RecoverPoint systems from untrusted networks
- Deploy network-based intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor for SSH exploitation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check RecoverPoint version via management interface or CLI; versions 6.0.x are vulnerable.Check Version:
Check via RecoverPoint management interface or consult Dell documentation for version query commandsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is updated to 6.1 or later and test SSH connectivity with security scanning tools.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SSH connection attempts
- Failed authentication attempts from unexpected sources
- SSH protocol anomalies
Network Indicators:
- SSH traffic to RecoverPoint systems from unexpected sources
- SSH protocol downgrade attempts
SIEM Query:
source="recoverpoint" AND (event="ssh_failed_auth" OR event="ssh_connection") | stats count by src_ip