CVE-2026-23853
Published: 17 April 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-23853 is a high-severity Use of Weak Credentials (CWE-1391) vulnerability in Dell Data Domain Operating System. Its CVSS base score is 8.4 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Local Accounts (T1078.003); ranked at the 1.5th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 IA-5 (Authenticator Management) and PE-3 (Physical Access Control).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Directly requires management of authenticators to ensure they are strong, unique, and not default or weak, preventing exploitation of this weak credentials vulnerability.
Enforces physical access controls to systems, blocking unauthenticated local attackers from reaching and exploiting weak credentials at console or local interfaces.
Mandates timely flaw remediation including patching as provided in Dell's DSA-2026-060 advisory, directly addressing this specific weak credentials vulnerability.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Weak/default credentials vulnerability directly enables local brute-force or guessing attacks to obtain valid local accounts for unauthorized access.
NVD Description
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain with Data Domain Operating System (DD OS) of Feature Release versions 7.7.1.0 through 8.5, LTS2025 release version 8.3.1.0 through 8.3.1.20, LTS2024 release versions 7.13.1.0 through 7.13.1.50, contain a use of weak credentials vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker…
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with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to unauthorized access to the system.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-23853 is a use of weak credentials vulnerability (CWE-1391) in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain systems running Data Domain Operating System (DD OS). It affects Feature Release versions 7.7.1.0 through 8.5, LTS2025 release versions 8.3.1.0 through 8.3.1.20, and LTS2024 release versions 7.13.1.0 through 7.13.1.50. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and was published on 2026-04-17.
An unauthenticated attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to the system. Exploitation requires low complexity and no user interaction, enabling high-impact compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Dell security advisory DSA-2026-060 addresses this and other vulnerabilities in PowerProtect Data Domain, providing security updates for mitigation. Details on patches and remediation are available at https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000450699/dsa-2026-060-security-update-for-dell-powerprotect-data-domain-multiple-vulnerabilities.
Details
- CWE(s)