CVE-2022-38732 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting SnapCenter versions prior to 4.7. SnapCenter is a data protection and management software commonly used for backup and recovery operations, particularly in enterprise environments. The vulnerability arises from the absence of a Content Security Policy (CSP) in these versions. CSP is a critical security feature that helps prevent certain types of web-based attacks, primarily Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and data injection attacks, by restricting the sources from which content can be loaded and executed in a web application. Without CSP, an attacker may exploit this lack of policy to inject malicious scripts or content into the SnapCenter web interface, potentially leading to the theft of sensitive information or unauthorized actions within the application context. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects a high severity, with an attack vector that is network-based (AV:N), requiring no privileges (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N), and impacting confidentiality (C:H) but not integrity or availability. This indicates that an attacker can remotely exploit this vulnerability without authentication or user involvement to compromise sensitive data confidentiality. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability represents a significant risk due to the critical nature of the data managed by SnapCenter and the ease of exploitation. The CWE-358 classification corresponds to improper enforcement of a security policy, emphasizing the missing CSP as the root cause. The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on September 29, 2022, and affects all versions prior to SnapCenter 4.7, which presumably includes the patch or mitigation for this issue.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial, especially for enterprises relying on SnapCenter for backup and data management of critical infrastructure and sensitive data. The absence of CSP could allow attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of the SnapCenter web interface, potentially leading to unauthorized access to confidential backup data or administrative functions. This could result in data breaches, exposure of sensitive customer or business information, and disruption of backup operations. Given the high confidentiality impact and the critical role of backup systems in business continuity, exploitation could undermine trust in data integrity and availability indirectly by compromising confidentiality. Furthermore, regulatory frameworks such as GDPR impose strict requirements on data protection and breach notification, so exploitation could lead to legal and financial repercussions for European organizations. The risk is heightened for organizations with internet-facing SnapCenter management consoles or those with insufficient network segmentation, increasing the attack surface. Although no active exploits are known, the vulnerability’s ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction makes it a priority for remediation to prevent potential targeted attacks or opportunistic exploitation.

European organizations should prioritize upgrading SnapCenter to version 4.7 or later, where the CSP implementation presumably addresses this vulnerability. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, organizations should implement compensating controls such as deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block injection attempts targeting the SnapCenter interface. Network segmentation should be enforced to restrict access to SnapCenter management consoles to trusted internal networks or VPNs only, minimizing exposure to external threats. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments and penetration testing focused on web interface vulnerabilities to identify any residual risks. Monitoring and logging of SnapCenter access should be enhanced to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts. Security teams should also review CSP policies for other web applications to ensure comprehensive protection against similar threats. Finally, staff awareness and incident response plans should be updated to include potential exploitation scenarios related to missing CSP in critical management tools.