dbcve.org
Storage ManagerApplication · Dell

CVE-2025-43995

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2020 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
Dell Storage Center - Dell Storage Manager, version(s) 20.1.21, contain(s) an Improper Authentication vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Protection mechanism bypass. Authentication Bypass in DSM Data Collector. An unauthenticated remote attacker can access APIs exposed by ApiProxy.war in DataCollectorEar.ear by using a special SessionKey and UserId. These userid are special users created in compellentservicesapi for special purposes.

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

Authentication bypass in Dell Storage Manager's Data Collector component where unauthenticated remote attackers can access ApiProxy.war APIs using specially crafted hardcoded SessionKey and UserId credentials corresponding to special-purpose accounts in compellentservicesapi, completely bypassing normal authentication.

MitigationApply vendor patch when available. As immediate compensating controls, restrict network access to Data Collector services and implement additional authentication layers at network perimeter.

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:< 2020= 2020

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:3.1/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. Identify Dell Storage Manager installation
    Locate Dell Storage Manager installation on the system, typically found in the default installation directory or via system inventory tools. Check for the 'Data Collector' component specifically.
    Affected if Dell Storage Manager with Data Collector component is present
  2. Determine the installed version
    Check the installed version of Dell Storage Manager. This can typically be found in the application itself, in installation logs, or via the Data Collector web interface about/version page.
    Affected if Version is 2020 or earlier than 2020 (any version < 2020)
  3. Verify Data Collector API exposure
    Check if the Data Collector's API endpoints are network-accessible. Look for the ApiProxy.war deployment and its accessible endpoints, typically on ports 8443 or similar DSM ports.
    Affected if Data Collector API (ApiProxy.war) is exposed to network without additional authentication layers
  4. Inspect for hardcoded credential configuration
    Examine the Data Collector configuration files for presence of SessionKey and UserId values associated with 'compellentservicesapi' accounts. These would be found in configuration files related to API proxy settings.
    Affected if Hardcoded SessionKey/UserId credentials for compellentservicesapi accounts exist in configuration
  5. Check network accessibility of Data Collector services
    Verify network access controls on the Data Collector service ports. Determine if the API endpoints are reachable from untrusted networks without authentication.
    Affected if Data Collector services are accessible from untrusted network segments without firewall or authentication restrictions

The environment is affected if Dell Storage Manager version 2020 or earlier is installed with the Data Collector component and its ApiProxy.war APIs are network-accessible without additional authentication layers.

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 2020 or later
Fixed in 2020
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patch when available. As immediate compensating controls, restrict network access to Data Collector services and implement additional authentication layers at network perimeter.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the latest available Dell Storage Manager version after 2020 (check Dell support for the specific fixed release)

  1. 1. Identify the current Dell Storage Manager (DSM) Data Collector version installed in your environment
  2. 2. Download the latest Dell Storage Manager version from the Dell Support website (support.dell.com)
  3. 3. Review the DSM release notes to confirm the version includes the fix for CVE-2025-43995
  4. 4. Back up the current DSM Data Collector configuration and database
  5. 5. Stop the DSM Data Collector service
  6. 6. Install the upgraded DSM Data Collector version
  7. 7. Restore the configuration from the backup
  8. 8. Start the DSM Data Collector service
Caveat Review DSM release notes for any configuration or API changes that may affect existing integrations

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

Fix this in Storage Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
Get the upgrade done

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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-2025-43995 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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