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Storage ManagerApplication · Dell

CVE-2017-14374

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-12-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.3.20 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The SMI-S service in Dell Storage Manager versions earlier than 16.3.20 (aka 2016 R3.20) is protected using a hard-coded password. A remote user with the knowledge of the password might potentially disable the SMI-S service via HTTP requests, affecting storage management and monitoring functionality via the SMI-S interface. This issue, aka DSM-30415, only affects a Windows installation of the Data Collector (not applicable to the virtual appliance).

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The SMI-S service in Dell Storage Manager versions prior to 16.3.20 contains a hard-coded password that can be exploited by a remote attacker. By sending specially crafted HTTP requests with this known password, an attacker can disable the SMI-S service, resulting in loss of storage management and monitoring capabilities.

MitigationUpgrade Dell Storage Manager to version 16.3.20 (2016 R3.20) or later to remediate this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict network access to the SMI-S service interface to minimize exposure.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Storage ManagerApplication
Affected:< 16.3.20

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Dell Storage Manager installation
    Locate the Dell Storage Manager installation directory, typically found under C:\Program Files\Dell\Storage Manager or check Add/Remove Programs for Dell Storage Manager entry
    Affected if Dell Storage Manager is not found on the system, the system is not affected by this vulnerability
  2. Determine installed DSM version
    Open Dell Storage Manager client or check the application version through the Windows Programs and Features list. Look for the version number displayed as 16.x.x or earlier releases
    Affected if The installed version is below 16.3.20, indicating the hard-coded password vulnerability is present
  3. Confirm SMI-S service presence and status
    Check Windows Services for 'DSM SMI-S Provider' or 'SMI-S' service. Also check if the service is running and listening on typical SMI-S ports (typically port 5988 for HTTP or 5989 for HTTPS)
    Affected if The SMI-S service is installed and running, making the hard-coded password accessible for exploitation
  4. Assess SMI-S network exposure
    Review firewall rules and network configuration to determine if the SMI-S service port (5988/5989) is accessible from untrusted networks or the internet
    Affected if The SMI-S service port is exposed to untrusted networks, enabling remote attackers to send malicious HTTP requests using the known hard-coded password

A system is affected if Dell Storage Manager version is below 16.3.20 and the SMI-S service is running and network-accessible to potential attackers.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.3.20 or later
Fixed in 16.3.20
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Dell Storage Manager to version 16.3.20 (2016 R3.20) or later to remediate this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict network access to the SMI-S service interface to minimize exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

16.3.20 (2016 R3.20) or later

  1. Back up the current Dell Storage Manager configuration and any important data before upgrading.
  2. Download Dell Storage Manager version 16.3.20 (2016 R3.20) or later from Dell support (topics-cdn.dell.com or Dell support portal).
  3. Run the installer on the Windows Data Collector where the SMI-S service is installed.
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade, ensuring the SMI-S service component is updated.
  5. After installation, verify the SMI-S service is running correctly by checking the Windows Services panel or accessing the storage management interface.
  6. Confirm that storage management and monitoring functionality via the SMI-S interface is operational.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Storage Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-14374 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data