CVE-2024-53298: Dell PowerScale OneFS Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2024-53298 Overview

CVE-2024-53298 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Network File System (NFS) export component of Dell PowerScale OneFS. The flaw affects OneFS versions 9.5.0.0 through 9.10.0.1. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the issue to gain unauthorized filesystem access. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to read, modify, and delete arbitrary files on the storage system. Dell categorizes the issue as critical because it can be leveraged to fully compromise affected clusters.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can bypass NFS export authorization to read, modify, and delete arbitrary files, leading to full system compromise.

Affected Products

• Dell PowerScale OneFS 9.5.0.0
• Dell PowerScale OneFS versions 9.6.0.0 through 9.9.x
• Dell PowerScale OneFS 9.10.0.0 and 9.10.0.1

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-20 - CVE-2024-53298 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
• 2025-07-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-53298

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the NFS export functionality of Dell PowerScale OneFS, a scale-out network-attached storage (NAS) operating system. NFS exports define which clients can mount and access specific directories on the cluster. The flaw stems from a missing authorization check [CWE-862] in this export handling logic. As a result, the system fails to enforce client-side access restrictions on protected shares.

An attacker reachable over the network can interact with the NFS service without supplying valid credentials. Because the authorization step is absent rather than weak, no credential guessing or token manipulation is required. The attack proceeds over standard NFS protocol traffic, which makes detection by perimeter controls difficult in environments where NFS is expected.

The impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability. An attacker can read sensitive data stored on the cluster, modify file contents, and delete arbitrary files. In multi-tenant or production environments, this provides a direct path to data exfiltration, ransomware-style destruction, or pivoting into systems that trust the file store.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check on NFS export operations. OneFS does not verify that the requesting client is authorized for the requested export and file operations before granting access.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the NFS service on the PowerScale cluster. No authentication, user interaction, or elevated privileges are needed. An attacker who can reach the NFS ports can issue requests that bypass the missing authorization control and operate on filesystem objects directly.

No public proof-of-concept code or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for CVE-2024-53298. Technical details beyond the vendor advisory are not publicly available. See the Dell Security Update DSA-2025-208 for vendor-provided information.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-53298

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected NFS mount requests from client IP addresses outside approved subnets or management networks.
• Bulk file read, modify, or delete operations on PowerScale exports originating from a single client in a short time window.
• NFS protocol activity to PowerScale nodes during off-hours or from systems with no business need to access the cluster.

Detection Strategies

• Audit OneFS protocol audit logs (isi audit) for NFS operations that lack a corresponding authenticated session or originate from unexpected hosts.
• Compare current NFS export configurations against a known-good baseline to identify exports with overly permissive root-clients, clients, or read-write-clients lists.
• Correlate network flow data with PowerScale node IPs to identify NFS traffic from unauthorized sources.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable protocol auditing for NFS on all access zones and forward audit events to a centralized log platform for retention and analysis.
• Monitor for spikes in file deletion or modification rates on production exports, especially on shares containing backups or sensitive data.
• Track changes to NFS export definitions and alert on out-of-band modifications.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-53298

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Dell PowerScale OneFS to a fixed version as identified in Dell advisory DSA-2025-208 at the earliest opportunity.
• Restrict network access to NFS services on PowerScale nodes to known client subnets using firewalls or OneFS host-based ACLs.
• Review existing NFS export definitions and remove overly permissive client entries until patching is complete.

Patch Information

Dell has released fixed versions for the affected OneFS releases. Refer to the Dell Security Update DSA-2025-208 for the complete list of remediated builds and upgrade guidance. Dell recommends customers upgrade at the earliest opportunity.

Workarounds

• Limit NFS export client lists to explicit, authorized IP addresses or subnets rather than wildcards.
• Place PowerScale data interfaces on isolated network segments accessible only to approved NFS clients.
• Disable NFS exports on access zones where the protocol is not actively required until the patch is applied.

# Example: review current NFS exports on OneFS
isi nfs exports list

# Example: restrict an export to a specific client subnet
isi nfs exports modify <export-id> --clients=10.0.10.0/24 --root-clients=""