Description

Dell Container Storage Modules, versions prior to 1.18.0, contain(s) an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Elevation of privileges.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "9.6",
  "pubDate": "2026-10-06T16:17:09.717Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-10-06T16:17:09.717Z",
  "executiveSummary": "Dell Container Storage Modules (CSM) are susceptible to an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine vulnerability. This flaw exists in versions prior to 1.18.0. The vulnerability allows a low-privileged, remotely authenticated attacker to execute unauthorized operations or escalate their current privileges within the environment. By manipulating template inputs that are not properly sanitized, an attacker can influence the template engine's output, potentially leading to arbitrary command execution or unauthorized data access. The vulnerability poses a significant risk to the security posture of the storage orchestration layer. Given that Container Storage Modules often operate with elevated permissions to manage storage resources, successful exploitation could facilitate a transition from a low-privilege security context to a highly privileged state, undermining the isolation provided by containerization and storage abstraction layers. The attack requires remote network access, but does not necessitate high-level administrative credentials to initiate the exploit sequence.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is categorized as an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine, commonly manifesting when an application takes user-supplied input and embeds it directly into a template without sufficient validation or escaping. In the context of Dell Container Storage Modules, this flaw suggests that the template engine responsible for rendering configuration files, scripts, or API payloads fails to sanitize special characters or control sequences provided by an unprivileged user.\nThe root cause lies in the mishandling of input data before it is processed by the template engine. When the engine interprets these malicious inputs as code or template directives rather than plain data, it executes the injected instructions within the security context of the CSM process. Because CSM components typically interface with underlying storage backends and orchestrators like Kubernetes, they often execute with broad permissions to perform volume management, provisioning, and snapshots.\nThe attack flow begins when an attacker, possessing remote access and low-privilege credentials, crafts a specific request payload targeting a module endpoint that utilizes the vulnerable template rendering mechanism. The attacker injects malicious template directives into parameters that are processed by the engine. Upon receipt, the engine parses these directives, executing the embedded logic.\nPost-exploitation, the attacker may leverage the execution context of the CSM to perform unauthorized API calls or interact with the underlying storage controller. If the template engine has access to filesystem objects or environment variables, the attacker could perform path traversal, exfiltrate sensitive configuration data, or gain escalated privileges by manipulating subsequent service configuration files. By controlling the template output, the attacker effectively subverts the logic intended to govern access control and resource management, allowing them to bypass security policy enforcement that would otherwise restrict their actions. This escalation occurs because the template engine serves as a pivot point between the untrusted user input and the high-privileged system services controlled by the CSM framework."
}