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CVE-2022-29839: CWE-522 Insufficiently Protected Credentials in Western Digital My Cloud

Medium
Published: Fri Dec 09 2022 (12/09/2022, 00:00:00 UTC)
Source: CVE
Vendor/Project: Western Digital
Product: My Cloud

Description

Insufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in the remote backups application on Western Digital My Cloud devices that could allow an attacker who has gained access to a relevant endpoint to use that information to access protected data. This issue affects: Western Digital My Cloud My Cloud versions prior to 5.25.124 on Linux.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 06/22/2025, 05:06:39 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2022-29839 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-522, indicating insufficiently protected credentials within the Western Digital My Cloud devices, specifically affecting versions prior to 5.25.124 running on Linux. The vulnerability resides in the remote backups application component of the My Cloud device software. An attacker who has already gained access to a relevant endpoint—such as a local network device or a compromised system with access to the My Cloud device—could exploit this vulnerability by extracting or leveraging inadequately protected credentials. These credentials could then be used to access protected data stored on the device or potentially to escalate privileges within the device environment. The vulnerability does not appear to be remotely exploitable without prior access, as it requires the attacker to have some level of access to the endpoint or network where the device is deployed. There are no known exploits in the wild reported to date, and Western Digital has not published an official patch link, though the affected versions are clearly identified. The root cause is the insufficient protection of credentials, which may involve weak encryption, storage in plaintext, or improper access controls within the backup application. This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data disclosure or manipulation if exploited. Given that My Cloud devices are often used for personal and small business network-attached storage (NAS), the risk is particularly relevant to environments where these devices are connected to local or hybrid networks without strong perimeter defenses.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and home office setups that rely on Western Digital My Cloud devices for critical data storage and backup. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive business data, intellectual property, or personal information, potentially resulting in data breaches and compliance violations under regulations such as GDPR. The integrity of backup data could also be compromised, affecting business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Since the vulnerability requires prior access to the endpoint or network, organizations with weak internal network segmentation or inadequate endpoint security controls are at higher risk. Additionally, industries with high data sensitivity such as finance, healthcare, and legal services in Europe could face reputational damage and regulatory penalties if this vulnerability is exploited. The medium severity rating reflects that while the vulnerability is not trivially exploitable remotely, the potential confidentiality and integrity impacts are non-negligible once access is gained.

Mitigation Recommendations

Upgrade Western Digital My Cloud devices to version 5.25.124 or later as soon as an official patch or update is available from Western Digital to address this vulnerability. Implement strict network segmentation to isolate My Cloud devices from general user networks, limiting access only to authorized systems and users. Enforce strong authentication and access controls on endpoints that have network access to My Cloud devices to reduce the risk of initial compromise. Regularly audit and monitor network traffic and device logs for unusual access patterns or credential usage that could indicate exploitation attempts. Avoid exposing My Cloud devices directly to the internet or untrusted networks without additional security layers such as VPNs or firewalls. Educate users and administrators on the risks of credential exposure and the importance of securing backup applications and devices. Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect lateral movement or credential theft activities within the network. Backup critical data externally and verify backup integrity to ensure recovery options in case of data compromise.

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Technical Details

Data Version
5.1
Assigner Short Name
WDC PSIRT
Date Reserved
2022-04-27T00:00:00.000Z
Cisa Enriched
true

Threat ID: 682d9848c4522896dcbf5f88

Added to database: 5/21/2025, 9:09:28 AM

Last enriched: 6/22/2025, 5:06:39 AM

Last updated: 7/30/2025, 11:27:09 PM

Views: 9

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