Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This affects Dell EMC Integrated Data Protection Appliance versions 2.0 through 2.4. A user who already has authenticated root-level access could abuse ACM API parameter handling to change passwords or run malicious commands. It is serious for backup and recovery infrastructure, but the provided sources do not show unauthenticated access or active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority infrastructure risk for affected backup appliances. The attacker prerequisite is strong, but a successful abuse path could undermine recovery systems and privileged administrative trust.
Technical view
CVE-2020-5350 is CWE-78 command injection in the IDPA ACM component APIs. CVSS 3.1 score is 7.9 with network attack vector, high privileges required, no user interaction, changed scope, and high confidentiality and availability impact. The source bundle names affected versions 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and 2.4.
Likely exposure
Likely exposed assets are Dell EMC IDPA deployments running versions 2.0 through 2.4 where ACM is reachable by authenticated root users. Business impact is highest where the appliance protects critical backup, recovery, or disaster recovery workflows.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not include evidence of active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. Exploitation requires remote authentication with root privileges and high attack complexity, which reduces broad opportunistic risk but does not reduce concern for compromised administrators or insider misuse.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description, CVSS data, and Dell advisory reference. Do not assume additional affected versions, public exploit availability, or a specific fixed release unless confirmed in Dell’s advisory.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all Dell EMC IDPA appliances and ACM components in the environment.
- Check Dell advisory DSA-2020-079 for the vendor-supported remediation path.
- Restrict ACM access to trusted administrative networks and named administrators.
- Review root account usage, password changes, and ACM API activity.
- Prioritize remediation for appliances supporting critical recovery operations.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether any IDPA instance runs versions 2.0 through 2.4.
- Verify ACM is not reachable from untrusted networks.
- Confirm Dell guidance has been reviewed and applied where applicable.
- Review authentication logs for unexpected root-level ACM access.
- Check for unexplained password changes or command execution indicators.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-78: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-5350 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.9 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:H1.36Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.9HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.dell.com/support/security/en-us/details/542518/DSA-2020-079-Dell-EMC-Integrated-Data-Protection-Appliance-Command-Injection-VulnerabilityCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.