SupportAssist: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
CVE-2022-34388 is a high-severity cleartext storage of sensitive information vulnerability in SupportAssist from Dell, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected SupportAssist versions: 3.11.4,3.2.0 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of SupportAssist you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on dell.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell | SupportAssist | 3.11.4,3.2.0 and earlier | Not stated |
| Dell | Supportassist For Business Pcs | 3.2.0 and earlier | Not stated |
| Dell | Supportassist For Home Pcs | 3.11.4 and earlier | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.1 | High | CNA (emc.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.1 | High | NVD |
Official description
Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs (version 3.11.4 and prior) and SupportAssist for Business PCs (version 3.2.0 and prior) contain information disclosure vulnerability. A local malicious user with low privileges could exploit this vulnerability to view and modify sensitive information in the database of the affected application.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to encrypt the data at rest.
- In some systems/environments such as cloud, the use of double encryption (at both the software and hardware layer) might be required, and the developer might be solely responsible for both layers, instead of shared responsibility with the administrator of the broader system/environment.
More Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information vulnerabilities (CWE-312)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Other vulnerabilities in SupportAssist
- 7.8 High severity
Recent Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.