CVE-2025-46699: Dell Data Protection Advisor Info Leak

CVE-2025-46699 Overview

Dell Data Protection Advisor contains an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine vulnerability (CWE-1336) in the Server component. This Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) vulnerability allows a low-privileged attacker with remote network access to exploit the template engine, potentially leading to unauthorized information exposure.

Template injection vulnerabilities occur when user-controlled input is unsafely embedded into template engines, allowing attackers to inject malicious template directives that the server then executes. In this case, the vulnerability affects the Dell Data Protection Advisor server component and could enable attackers to extract sensitive configuration data, credentials, or other protected information from the affected systems.

Critical Impact
Low-privileged remote attackers can exploit template injection to access sensitive information from Dell Data Protection Advisor servers, potentially compromising data protection configurations and backup-related secrets.

Affected Products

Dell Data Protection Advisor versions prior to 19.12

Discovery Timeline

2026-01-23 - CVE-2025-46699 published to NVD
2026-01-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-46699

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in a template engine (CWE-1336), commonly known as Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI). The Dell Data Protection Advisor server fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before processing it through the template engine.

When exploited, this vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to inject template directives that the server interprets and executes. The attack requires network access but no user interaction, making it exploitable remotely by any authenticated user on the system.

The primary impact is confidentiality-focused, potentially exposing sensitive information such as internal system configurations, database credentials, backup encryption keys, or other protected data managed by the Data Protection Advisor platform. Given that this is a data protection solution, the exposed information could have cascading security implications for the broader backup and disaster recovery infrastructure.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-46699 is the failure to properly neutralize or sanitize user-controlled input before passing it to the template engine in the Dell Data Protection Advisor Server component. Template engines typically use specific syntax (such as {{ }}, ${ }, or <%= %> depending on the engine) to evaluate expressions and render dynamic content.

When user input containing these special template syntax elements is not properly escaped or validated, the template engine interprets the malicious input as legitimate template code and executes it. This allows attackers to access template context variables, call methods, and potentially read sensitive data that should not be accessible.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based and requires low-privilege authentication. An attacker would need to:

Obtain valid credentials for the Dell Data Protection Advisor system (even low-privilege accounts are sufficient)
Identify input fields or parameters that are processed by the template engine
Craft malicious template injection payloads designed to extract sensitive information
Submit these payloads through the vulnerable input vectors
Analyze server responses to retrieve exposed data

The attack does not require any user interaction and can be performed remotely from any network location that can reach the vulnerable server. The vulnerability specifically enables information exposure rather than code execution, meaning attackers can read sensitive data but the scope is limited to the confidentiality impact.

For technical details on template injection attack techniques, refer to the Dell Security Update Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-46699

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual template syntax characters in HTTP request parameters, headers, or body content (e.g., {{, ${, <%)
Server responses containing unexpected internal data, configuration values, or error messages revealing template engine details
Anomalous access patterns from low-privileged accounts attempting to access sensitive resources
Authentication logs showing repeated requests with varying payloads to the same endpoints

Detection Strategies

Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect common SSTI payload patterns in incoming requests
Monitor application logs for template parsing errors or unusual template rendering exceptions
Deploy behavioral analysis to detect authenticated users probing multiple input fields with structured injection patterns
Review audit logs for data access patterns inconsistent with user privilege levels

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable detailed logging for the Dell Data Protection Advisor Server component and monitor for suspicious request patterns
Configure SIEM rules to alert on template injection indicators such as template syntax in request parameters
Monitor outbound network traffic for potential data exfiltration following successful exploitation
Establish baseline user behavior patterns to detect anomalous information access attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-46699

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Dell Data Protection Advisor to version 19.12 or later as soon as possible
Review access logs for signs of potential exploitation attempts prior to patching
Audit user accounts and remove unnecessary low-privilege accounts that could be used as attack vectors
Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of the Data Protection Advisor server

Patch Information

Dell has released a security update addressing this vulnerability. Upgrade Dell Data Protection Advisor to version 19.12 or later to remediate CVE-2025-46699. The patch information and download instructions are available in the Dell Security Advisory DSA-2025-075.

Organizations should prioritize this update for all Dell Data Protection Advisor deployments, particularly those accessible from less trusted networks or with multiple user accounts.

Workarounds

Restrict network access to the Dell Data Protection Advisor server to trusted administrative networks only
Implement additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of credential abuse
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with SSTI detection rules as an interim protective measure
Review and minimize user privileges, removing any unnecessary accounts until patching is complete

bash

# Example: Restrict network access using firewall rules
# Allow access only from trusted management networks
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP