CVE-2026-22769 is a critical security vulnerability identified in Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines, specifically affecting versions prior to 6.0.3.1 HF1, including 5.3 SP4 P1. The vulnerability stems from the presence of hardcoded credentials embedded within the software. These credentials can be exploited by an unauthenticated remote attacker who has knowledge of them, enabling unauthorized access to the underlying operating system hosting the RecoverPoint virtual appliance. The attacker can achieve root-level persistence, effectively gaining full control over the system. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-798, which relates to the use of hardcoded credentials—a well-known security flaw that undermines authentication mechanisms. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 10.0, reflecting the highest severity due to the vulnerability's characteristics: it requires no authentication (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), has a complete scope change (S:C), and results in total compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the presence of hardcoded credentials makes this vulnerability highly exploitable once the credentials become known or leaked. Dell has issued recommendations to upgrade to fixed versions or apply remediations promptly to mitigate the risk. The vulnerability affects critical disaster recovery infrastructure, which is often integral to enterprise IT resilience strategies.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2026-22769 is severe. RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines is used to ensure data protection and disaster recovery for virtualized environments, often hosting critical business applications and sensitive data. Exploitation would allow attackers to bypass all authentication controls, gaining root-level access to the underlying OS, enabling data theft, manipulation, or destruction, and potentially disrupting business continuity. This could lead to significant financial losses, regulatory penalties under GDPR due to data breaches, and reputational damage. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure operators are particularly vulnerable given their reliance on virtualized disaster recovery solutions. The ability to maintain root persistence also facilitates long-term undetected presence, increasing the risk of advanced persistent threats (APTs) and further lateral movement within networks. The lack of required user interaction and authentication lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the likelihood of exploitation once the hardcoded credentials are discovered or leaked.

European organizations should immediately verify their use of Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines and identify affected versions (prior to 6.0.3.1 HF1, including 5.3 SP4 P1). The primary mitigation is to upgrade to the latest patched version provided by Dell as soon as possible. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, organizations should apply any available vendor-recommended workarounds or configuration changes to disable or change the hardcoded credentials, if possible. Network segmentation should be enforced to restrict access to the RecoverPoint management interfaces, limiting exposure to trusted administrative networks only. Implement strict monitoring and logging of access attempts to the RecoverPoint appliances to detect any unauthorized access early. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough audits of their virtual machine disaster recovery environments to identify any signs of compromise. Credential management policies should be reviewed to avoid embedded or hardcoded credentials in any software components. Finally, incident response plans should be updated to address potential exploitation scenarios involving this vulnerability.