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Unity Operating EnvironmentApplication · Dell

CVE-2024-0164

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.0.0.5.094 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Dell Unity, versions prior to 5.4, contain an OS Command Injection Vulnerability in its svc_topstats utility. An authenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to the execution of arbitrary commands with elevated privileges.

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 · moderate confidence

Dell Unity storage systems prior to version 5.4 contain an OS command injection vulnerability in the svc_topstats utility. An authenticated attacker can inject arbitrary OS commands through this utility, which executes with elevated (root) privileges, allowing complete system compromise.

MitigationUpgrade Dell Unity to version 5.4 or later to receive the vendor patch. Prior to patching, restrict network access to the management interfaces and enforce strong authentication controls to limit exposure to authenticated attackers.

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
Unity Operating EnvironmentApplication
Affected:< 5.4.0.0.5.094

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Identify Dell Unity storage system
    Locate Dell Unity storage hardware in your data center or check inventory for Dell Unity model numbers (e.g., Unity 300, Unity 500, Unity XT)
    Affected if A Dell Unity storage array is present in the environment
  2. Check Dell Unity OE version
    Access the Unisphere management interface (https://<unity-ip>) and navigate to Settings > About, or use the 'system' CLI command on the Unity array to retrieve the Operating Environment version
    Affected if The installed version is any build prior to 5.4.0.0.5.094 (e.g., 5.3.x, 5.2.x, 5.1.x)
  3. Verify authenticated access exists
    Confirm that user accounts with access to the Unisphere management interface or CLI exist on the system
    Affected if Any authenticated user account can access the Unity management interface or CLI
  4. Check svc_topstats utility access
    On the Unity CLI, verify the svc_topstats utility exists in the service directory (typically /opt/storage/scripts/svc_topstats or similar service binaries path). Note: This is the vulnerable component.
    Affected if The svc_topstats utility is present and executable on the system (it is present by default in affected versions)

If a Dell Unity storage system is running an Operating Environment version below 5.4.0.0.5.094 and has the svc_topstats utility accessible to authenticated users, the environment is affected by this command injection vulnerability.

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 5.4.0.0.5.094 or later
Fixed in 5.4.0.0.5.094
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Dell Unity to version 5.4 or later to receive the vendor patch. Prior to patching, restrict network access to the management interfaces and enforce strong authentication controls to limit exposure to authenticated attackers.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Unity Operating Environment 5.4.0.0.5.094 or later

  1. Back up all critical data and configuration on the Dell Unity system before proceeding with any updates
  2. Log in to Dell Support (support.dell.com) and download the Unity Operating Environment update version 5.4.0.0.5.094 or later
  3. Follow Dell's documented upgrade procedure for Unity OE updates, typically via the Unisphere web interface or CLI
  4. After applying the update, verify the system is running version 5.4.0.0.5.094 or later using the Unisphere dashboard or svc_version utility
  5. Validate that the svc_topstats utility is now functioning normally without command injection vulnerability
Caveat Review Dell Unity release notes for any feature changes or migration considerations between versions before upgrading

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

Fix this in Unity Operating Environment Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,784.

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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-2024-0164 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
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