CVE-2022-37928 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Nimble Storage Hybrid Flash Arrays and Nimble Storage Secondary Flash Arrays. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-345, which pertains to insufficient verification of data authenticity. This means that the affected storage systems do not adequately verify the authenticity of data they process, potentially allowing an attacker with certain privileges to manipulate or inject malicious data. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.0, indicating a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H indicates that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires the attacker to have some level of privileges (PR:L) and user interaction (UI:R). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), but the impact on confidentiality (C:H), integrity (I:H), and availability (A:H) is high. The affected versions are those prior to 5.2.1.900 (LTSR) and 5.3.0.0 (GA). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches are linked in the provided data, though it is implied that updating to the specified versions mitigates the issue. The vulnerability could allow an attacker with limited privileges and the ability to trick a user into interaction to compromise the storage system’s data integrity and availability, potentially leading to data corruption, unauthorized data access, or denial of service conditions. Given the critical role of storage arrays in enterprise environments, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to data security and operational continuity.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-37928 could be substantial, especially for those relying on HPE Nimble Storage Hybrid and Secondary Flash Arrays for critical data storage and backup. Compromise of data authenticity can lead to unauthorized data modification, data loss, or disruption of storage services, which in turn can affect business operations, compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR, and trustworthiness of stored data. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and government agencies that depend heavily on data integrity and availability could face operational disruptions and potential regulatory penalties. The requirement for some privilege and user interaction reduces the likelihood of widespread automated exploitation but does not eliminate targeted attacks, especially insider threats or sophisticated attackers leveraging social engineering. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests limited current active exploitation, but the high severity score and potential impact warrant proactive mitigation. Additionally, disruption or data corruption in storage arrays can have cascading effects on backup and disaster recovery processes, further amplifying the risk to business continuity.

Immediately verify the firmware/software version of all HPE Nimble Storage Hybrid Flash Arrays and Nimble Storage Secondary Flash Arrays in use and upgrade to version 5.2.1.900 (LTSR) or 5.3.0.0 (GA) or later, where the vulnerability is addressed. Implement strict access controls to limit user privileges on storage management interfaces to the minimum necessary, reducing the risk of exploitation by users with limited privileges. Enhance monitoring and logging on storage arrays to detect unusual activities, especially those involving data modification requests or unexpected user interactions. Conduct user awareness training focused on social engineering risks, as exploitation requires user interaction; educate users on recognizing suspicious prompts or requests related to storage systems. Segment storage management networks from general user networks to reduce exposure to remote attacks and limit attack surface. Regularly audit and review storage system configurations and access permissions to ensure compliance with security best practices. Develop and test incident response plans specifically for storage system compromises to enable rapid containment and recovery in case of exploitation. Engage with HPE support and subscribe to their security advisories to receive timely updates and patches related to Nimble Storage products.