Detect Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines (RP4VMs) Hard-coded Credentials Exploitation in Splunk
Detects exploitation of CVE-2026-22769, a hard-coded credentials vulnerability in Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines (RP4VMs). Threat actors (including UNC6201) have actively exploited this zero-day to gain unauthorized access to RP4VMs appliances, enabling lateral movement, data exfiltration, and ransomware deployment within virtualized environments. The hard-coded credentials allow unauthenticated remote access to RP4VMs management interfaces.
MITRE ATT&CK
SPL Detection Query
index=* sourcetype IN ("dell:recoverpoint", "linux_secure", "syslog", "cisco:asa", "pan:traffic")
(
(
("Accepted password" OR "Accepted publickey" OR "session opened for user")
AND ("admin" OR "support" OR "boxmgmt" OR "root" OR "service" OR "recover")
AND (host="*recoverpoint*" OR host="*rp4vm*" OR host="*rpa*")
)
OR
(
sourcetype="dell:recoverpoint"
AND (action="login" OR action="authenticate" OR action="ssh_connect")
AND (user="admin" OR user="support" OR user="boxmgmt" OR user="service")
)
)
| eval risk_reason=case(
match(_raw, "Accepted password"), "Password-based auth on RP4VMs - potential hardcoded cred use",
match(_raw, "session opened"), "Interactive session on RP4VMs appliance",
true(), "RP4VMs authentication event"
)
| eval severity="critical"
| table _time, host, src_ip, user, action, risk_reason, severity, _raw
| sort -_timeDetects successful authentication and session activity on Dell RP4VMs appliances using usernames associated with hard-coded or default credentials. Covers SSH auth logs and native Dell RecoverPoint sourcetypes.
Data Sources
Required Sourcetypes
False Positives & Tuning
- Administrators using vendor-default usernames before post-install hardening is complete
- Automated monitoring agents polling the RP4VMs management interface with legacy credentials
- Dell support tunnels using service accounts during an active support case
- Misconfigured SIEM forwarders generating duplicate or replayed authentication events
Other platforms for CVE-2026-22769
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1RP4VMs Default Credential SSH Authentication Simulation
Expected signal: SSH authentication event in /var/log/auth.log on the target RP4VMs appliance showing 'Accepted password for admin from <attacker_ip>'. SIEM should receive this via syslog forwarding from the appliance.
- Test 2RP4VMs Post-Exploitation Command Execution via Hard-coded Credentials
Expected signal: SSH session opened for user 'support' followed by process execution events (cat, ps, netstat/ss, find) visible in Auditd or Falco telemetry if deployed on the RP4VMs Linux host.
- Test 3RP4VMs Credential Discovery — Searching for Additional Credentials Post-Compromise
Expected signal: Auditd EXECVE syscall events for grep, cat, and env commands executed under the 'boxmgmt' user context on the RP4VMs host. File access events for /etc directory traversal.
- Test 4RP4VMs Persistence — Unauthorized SSH Key Installation
Expected signal: File write event to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys under the 'admin' user account on the RP4VMs host. Auditd or Falco should capture the open/write syscalls against the authorized_keys file path.
References (4)
- https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000426773/dsa-2026-079
- https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000426742/recoverpoint-for-vms-apply-the-remediation-script-for-dsa
- https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/unc6201-exploiting-dell-recoverpoint-zero-day
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22769
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2026-22769 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.