VulnerabilityPublished 17 Feb 2026Updated 6 Mar 2026

CVE-2025-36597: Dell Avamar Server · Path Traversal

Affects Dell Avamar ServerSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.7 Medium : upgrade to Version 19.12 with CHF 338905 or later when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.7Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 26% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in Version 19.12 with CHF 338905 or later, Version 2.7.9 with AV CHF 338905

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Avamar Server and Avamar Virtual Edition to Version 19.12 with CHF 338905 or later; PowerProtect DP Series Appliance (IDPA) to Version 2.7.9 with AV CHF 338905.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
DellAvamar Server	Affected ≥ 19.8 through 19.12, < Version 19.12 with CHF 338905 or later	Fixed in Version 19.12 with CHF 338905 or later
DellAvamar Virtual Edition	Affected ≥ 19.8 through 19.12, < Version 19.12 with CHF 338905 or later	Fixed in Version 19.12 with CHF 338905 or later
DellPowerProtect DP Series Appliance (IDPA)	Affected ≥ N/A, < Version 2.7.9 with AV CHF 338905	Fixed in Version 2.7.9 with AV CHF 338905

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-36597, organizations should promptly apply Dell's official patch 338905 or any subsequent updates that address this vulnerability. If patching is not immediately feasible, restrict remote access to the Avamar Server to trusted networks and enforce strict access controls to limit high privilege accounts. Implement robust monitoring and logging of file access and administrative activities to detect suspicious path traversal attempts. Employ network segmentation to isolate backup servers from general user networks and reduce exposure. Regularly audit user privileges and remove unnecessary high-level access to minimize the attack surface. Additionally, conduct penetration testing focused on path traversal and directory traversal vulnerabilities in backup infrastructure to proactively identify weaknesses. Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential exploitation.

Description

Dell Avamar, versions prior to 19.12 with patch 338905, contains an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Security. A high privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to information disclosure.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-36597 is unauthorized information disclosure due to path traversal, potentially exposing sensitive backup data or configuration files stored on Dell Avamar Servers. This could lead to leakage of confidential organizational data, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information. Although the vulnerability requires high privileges, it increases the risk of lateral movement or data exfiltration by malicious insiders or attackers who have gained elevated access. Integrity and availability impacts are low but possible if attackers manipulate file paths to disrupt backup operations or corrupt data. Organizations globally that use Dell Avamar for backup and recovery could face compliance violations, reputational damage, and operational disruptions if this vulnerability is exploited. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not preclude future attacks, especially as threat actors often target backup infrastructure for maximum impact.

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #6OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design
For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks…
Implementation · Input Validation
Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174).
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Path Traversal (opens in a new tab)
Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation Logic (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (opens in a new tab)
Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate Encoding (opens in a new tab)
Using Slashes in Alternate Encoding (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000347698/dsa-2025-271-security-update-for-dell-avamar-and-dell-avamar-virtual-edition-multiple-vulnerabilities (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 6 Mar 2026, 20:34 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-22

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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