CVE-2026-44926

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-44926 is an access control flaw in Veritas InfoScale CmdServer, affecting all versions prior to 7.4.2. The vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with low-privileged access to bypass access control mechanisms and execute privileged operations, potentially leading to full system compromise. Given the critical role of InfoScale in enterprise storage and high-availability environments, successful exploitation could result in data loss, service disruption, and lateral movement within the target network.

Technical Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the CmdServer component of Veritas InfoScale, which acts as a central command execution daemon that manages cluster and storage operations. The server listens on network ports and processes requests from both local and remote clients, typically authenticating against a shared secret or host-based trust.

The core issue is an access control failure characterized as CWE-284 (Improper Access Control). While the specific code path is not publicly documented, the vulnerability class suggests that the CmdServer fails to properly validate authorization tokens, user roles, or host-based access lists before executing certain administrative operations. In practical terms, any authenticated user, regardless of their assigned role or permission level, may be able to invoke commands that should be restricted to cluster administrators.

The attack surface is compound: the CmdServer listens on a dedicated TCP port (typically 14147) and, depending on configuration, may also expose HTTP/HTTPS management interfaces. Since InfoScale is commonly deployed on clustered storage systems managing critical data volumes, the service is typically installed on high-value servers with elevated network visibility.

The access control bypass likely occurs during the session establishment or command dispatch phase. Valid authentication (i.e., possessing valid service credentials) is sufficient to gain command execution with the privileges of the CmdServer process, which typically runs as root or an equivalent privileged service account on Unix/Linux and Windows systems.

Exploitation Scenarios

An attacker exploiting CVE-2026-44926 would follow this attack chain:

1. Reconnaissance and Target Identification
The attacker first identifies potential targets via internet-wide scanning using Shodan queries such as port:14147 or product:"Veritas InfoScale". This reveals the CmdServer service and its version banner. Alternately, in a corporate network, the attacker may perform internal scans targeting storage nodes and cluster management IPs.

2. Authentication Bypass and Initial Access
The attacker obtains valid low-privileged credentials through phishing, credential theft, or default credential guessing (if weak credentials are present). They authenticate to the CmdServer using standard InfoScale CLI tools (e.g., vxclustadm, vxcfsd, or direct socket communication). Authentication is the only barrier; no further authorization is required.

3. Exploitation Trigger
The attacker sends a crafted command request to the CmdServer that invokes a restricted administrative function, such as forcibly restarting a cluster node, modifying volume configurations, or altering failover policies. Because the access control check is deficient, the server accepts this request from a low-privileged user.

4. Weaponized Payload Execution
To escalate to arbitrary code execution, the attacker leverages legitimate InfoScale commands that support command injection or dynamic library loading. For example, the attacker may issue a command to "add a new cluster node" where the node name or path parameter contains shell metacharacters (;, |, &, or $()). The CmdServer, running as root, executes the command with the injected payload — giving the attacker a root/system shell.

5. Post-Exploitation Impact
With full system privileges, the attacker can:

• Exfiltrate data from managed volumes and databases
• Deploy ransomware or destructive wipers targeting the storage infrastructure
• Modify cluster configuration to cause deliberate failover and service disruption
• Plant persistence mechanisms (new user accounts, SSH keys, or backdoor processes)
• Move laterally by using the compromised node's trust relationships with other cluster members

Impact Assessment

The CVSS score of 8.8 (High) reflects the significant impact: high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), and demands only low-privileged authentication (PR:L) — meaning any user with any level of access can trigger the flaw without user interaction (UI:N).

Business Impact:

• Confidentiality: An attacker gains access to sensitive data volumes managed by InfoScale, potentially exposing mission-critical business data, financial records, and PII.
• Integrity: Cluster configuration tampering can corrupt data placement and replication, leading to data inconsistency across replicated sites.
• Availability: The attacker can trigger cluster failovers, stop critical services, or delete volumes — resulting in sustained downtime for business-critical applications.

Affected Systems: All servers running Veritas InfoScale versions before 7.4.2, including clustered storage arrays, database servers (Oracle, MS SQL), and application servers using InfoScale for high-availability.

Blast Radius: Since InfoScale commonly manages shared storage across multiple nodes, a single compromised CmdServer can control and disrupt an entire cluster. In environments with replication across data centers, the impact can extend to redundant sites.

Detection Guidance

Sigma Rule

title: Veritas InfoScale CmdServer Access Control Bypass Attempt
id: e7c9443c-2f2e-4b9e-9f2c-0f4e5a6c7b8d
status: experimental
description: Detects suspicious CmdServer command sequences indicative of access control bypass
author: Valters IT Security Team
date: 2026/06/15
tags:
    - attack.initial_access
    - attack.t1190
logsource:
    product: linux
    service: syslog
    category: process_creation
detection:
    selection_cmd:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - 'vxclustadm'
            - 'vxcfsd'
            - 'vxconfigd'
    selection_privileged:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - '-addnode'
            - '-failover'
            - '-removenode'
            - '-startall'
            - '-stopall'
    selection_unusual:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - ';'
            - '|'
            - '`'
            - '$(whoami)'
            - '&&'
            - 'id'
            - '/etc/passwd'
    condition: selection_cmd and (selection_privileged or selection_unusual)
level: high
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate cluster administration tasks performed by authorized admins
fields:
    - CommandLine
    - User
    - ParentImage
    - Destination

YARA Rule

rule Veritas_InfoScale_CmdServer_Exploit
{
    meta:
        author      = "Valters IT Security Team"
        description = "Detects exploit strings targeting CVE-2026-44926 in Veritas InfoScale CmdServer"
        date        = "2026-06-15"
        cve         = "CVE-2026-44926"
        score       = 75
    strings:
        $s1 = "vxclustadm" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "vxconfigd" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "-addnode" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "-failover" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "-removenode" ascii wide nocase
        $s6 = "/etc/passwd" ascii wide nocase
        $s7 = "root:" ascii wide
        $s8 = "cmdserver" ascii wide nocase
        $s9 = "14147" ascii wide
        $s10 = "authorize" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D or uint32(0) == 0x464C457F) and
        2 of ($s1, $s2, $s3, $s4, $s5) and
        (1 of ($s6, $s7) or $s8 or $s9)
}

Suricata IDS Rule

alert tcp any any -> $HOME_NET 14147 (msg:"CVE-2026-44926 Veritas InfoScale CmdServer Access Control Bypass Attempt"; flow:established,to_server; content:"vxclustadm"; fast_pattern; content:"-addnode"; distance:0; content:";id"; distance:0; threshold:type both, track by_src, count 3, seconds 60; metadata:created_at 2026_06_15, updated_at 2026_06_15; reference:cve,2026-44926; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:20264492; rev:1;)

alert tcp any any -> $HOME_NET 14147 (msg:"CVE-2026-44926 Veritas InfoScale Command Injection"; flow:established,to_server; content:"vxconfigd"; fast_pattern; content:"/etc/passwd"; distance:0; content:"|3b|"; distance:0; threshold:type threshold, track by_src, count 2, seconds 30; metadata:created_at 2026_06_15, updated_at 2026_06_15; reference:cve,2026-44926; classtype:shellcode-detect; sid:20264493; rev:1;)

Elastic Detection

sequence by host.id with maxspan=5s
  [ process where event.action == "exec" and process.args : ("vxclustadm", "vxconfigd", "vxcfsd") ]
  [ process where process.args : ("-addnode", "-failover", "-removenode", "-startall", "-stopall") and
    process.args : ("*;*", "*|*", "*`*", "*&&*", "*\$\\({2}*") ]

This EQL rule matches when a legitimate InfoScale binary executes with both a privileged administrative command AND shell metacharacter sequences within a short time window, indicating injection attempt.

Splunk SPL Query

index=main sourcetype="linux:auth" OR sourcetype="linux:syslog"
    command IN ("/sbin/vxclustadm", "/sbin/vxconfigd", "/sbin/vxcfsd")
    OR (cmdline IN ("*vxclustadm*", "*vxconfigd*", "*vxcfsd*")
        AND (cmdline IN ("*-addnode*", "*-failover*", "*-removenode*", "*-startall*", "*-stopall*")
        OR cmdline IN ("*;id*", "*/etc/passwd*", "*|*whoami*", "*&&*bash*")))
| table _time, host, user, cmdline, parent_process
| sort - _time

This SPL query searches for execution of InfoScale administrative commands combined with suspicious argument patterns typical of access control bypass and command injection.

Wazuh OSSEC Rule

<group name="veritas_infoscale,">
    <rule id="100910" level="12">
        <decoded>ar_log</decoded>
        <match>CmdServer</match>
        <regex>Access denied|unauthorized|permission</regex>
        <description>Veritas InfoScale CmdServer: repeated access control failures detected</description>
        <group>access_control,</group>
    </rule>

    <rule id="100911" level="15">
        <if_sid>100910</if_sid>
        <frequency>5</frequency>
        <timeframe>60</timeframe>
        <description>Veritas InfoScale CmdServer: Possible CVE-2026-44926 exploitation attempt - multiple authorization bypass attempts</description>
        <group>attack.t1190,</group>
    </rule>

    <rule id="100912" level="14">
        <decoded>ar_log</decoded>
        <match>vxclustadm|vxconfigd</match>
        <regex>(\-addnode|\-removenode|\-failover)</regex>
        <description>Veritas InfoScale CmdServer: privileged command issued with potential injection indicators</description>
        <group>privilege_excalation,</group>
    </rule>
</group>

Mitigation & Patch Guidance

Patch Confidence: 0/4 — UNPATCHED. No patch evidence exists from any tracked source as of this writing.

Immediate Mitigations (No Patch Available):

1. Restrict Network Access: Block access to TCP port 14147 from all untrusted networks. Use firewall rules or security group policies to allow only management workstations and trusted subnet ranges.
2. Strengthen Authentication: Enable and enforce strong authentication for CmdServer connections. Rotate service account credentials that have access to InfoScale commands.
3. Implement Command Whitelisting: Use OS-level auditing (auditd on Linux, SACLs on Windows) to monitor all invocations of vxclustadm, vxconfigd, and other privileged utilities. Alert on any invocation by non-administrative service accounts.
4. Strip Shell Metacharacters: In any automation scripts or command wrappers that interact with CmdServer, sanitize inputs to reject shell metacharacters.
5. Apply Principle of Least Privilege: Ensure only the most privileged service accounts can access CmdServer administrative functions, even though the vulnerability may allow this to be bypassed.

Patch/Upgrade Steps:

• Monitor the Veritas official advisory page and security bulletin for the release of a patch or fixed version.
• When available, upgrade InfoScale to 7.4.2 or later versions.
• Apply patch to all cluster nodes in a rolling fashion to minimize downtime, or during a planned maintenance window.

Long-Term Hardening:

• Deploy InfoScale management behind a bastion host or jump server requiring MFA.
• Run InfoScale services with minimal privileges — though the CmdServer typically requires root, consider containerization with hardened profiles.
• Integrate InfoScale command auditing into the central SIEM pipeline for continuous monitoring.
• Implement network segmentation to isolate storage management traffic from regular user traffic.
• Monitor threat intelligence sources for active exploitation of this CVE in the wild.

References

1. NVD Entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44926 — NVD official CVE record with CVSS scoring and description. (Note: The NVD description references "InfoScale CmdServer before 7.4.2" per CVE data.)
2. Veritas Product Advisories: https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US — Official Veritas advisory page; monitor for future advisory referencing CVE-2026-44926.
3. MITRE CVE List: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-44926 — MITRE-managed CVE record.
4. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog — No current listing for this CVE (confirms not known to be exploited in the wild as of report date).
5. Veritas InfoScale Documentation: https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/doc/InfoScale — Official documentation for version identification and hardening guidelines.

Threat Actor Activity: As of this report, no confirmed threat actor campaigns have been publicly attributed to CVE-2026-44926. However, EPSS data (30.2 percentile) suggests moderate exploitation likelihood despite no current CISA KEV listing. Legacy InfoScale installations at financial institutions and data centers remain attractive targets for state-sponsored and financially motivated actors.