CVE-2026-22050 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-639 affecting NetApp ONTAP 9 storage operating system versions 9.16.1 (prior to patch 9.16.1P9) and 9.17.1 (prior to patch 9.17.1P2) when snapshot locking is enabled. The flaw allows a privileged remote attacker to manipulate the snapshot expiry time parameter, setting it to 'none'. Snapshots are point-in-time copies of data used for backup and recovery; normally, they expire after a configured retention period to free storage resources. By setting the expiry to none, snapshots may persist indefinitely, leading to potential storage bloat, resource exhaustion, and degraded system performance. This could disrupt normal storage operations and complicate data management. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have high privileges on the system but does not require user interaction or additional authentication vectors. The CVSS 4.0 score of 6.9 reflects a medium severity, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required beyond high privilege level, and impacts on availability and integrity. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date. The vulnerability emphasizes the importance of patching and careful snapshot lifecycle management in enterprise storage environments.

For European organizations, the impact primarily concerns availability and operational integrity of storage systems running vulnerable ONTAP versions. Indefinitely retained snapshots can consume significant storage capacity, potentially leading to storage exhaustion, degraded performance, and increased administrative overhead. This can disrupt business continuity, delay backup and recovery processes, and increase costs related to storage management. Critical sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government agencies relying on NetApp ONTAP for data storage and protection may face operational risks. While the vulnerability does not directly expose data confidentiality or integrity, the indirect effects on system availability and data recovery capabilities can be severe. Organizations with large-scale storage deployments or those under strict regulatory requirements for data retention and availability should be particularly vigilant.

Organizations should prioritize upgrading affected NetApp ONTAP versions to the patched releases 9.16.1P9 or 9.17.1P2 as soon as they become available. Until patches are applied, administrators should audit snapshot policies and manually monitor snapshot expiry settings to detect any anomalies or snapshots without expiry. Implement strict access controls to limit privileged remote access to ONTAP management interfaces, employing network segmentation and multi-factor authentication where possible. Regularly review and enforce snapshot lifecycle management best practices, including automated cleanup and retention policies. Additionally, monitoring storage utilization trends can provide early warning signs of abnormal snapshot accumulation. Engage with NetApp support for guidance on interim mitigations and consider deploying compensating controls such as alerting on snapshot configuration changes. Document and test recovery procedures to ensure resilience in case of storage resource exhaustion.