CRITICAL · CVSS 9.8 Used in ransomware attacks

CVE-2025-43995

DSM Data Collector

Dell Storage Center - Dell Storage Manager, version(s) 20.1.21, contain(s) an Improper Authentication vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Protection mechanism bypass. Authentication Bypass in DSM Data Collector. An unauthenticated remote attacker can access APIs exposed by ApiProxy.war in DataCollectorEar.ear by using a special SessionKey and UserId. These userid are special users created in compellentservicesapi for special purposes.

CVSS
9.8
CRITICAL
EPSS
0.8%
30-day exploitation
Ransomware groups
1
recorded exploiting
Published
24 Oct 2025
CWE-287

Ransomware groups exploiting CVE-2025-43995

Tengu 49 victims tracked

Tengu is a RaaS operation first observed in October 2025, following a double-extortion model and using Living Off The Land Binaries (LOLBins) to blend malicious activity with normal admin traffic, primarily targeting consumer goods, real estate, automotive, he

Exploitation is attributed to these groups across their recorded activity. It does not follow that every organisation they listed was reached through CVE-2025-43995 — the source data does not record an entry point per incident.

Exploitation status

EPSS — exploitation probability

FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 0.8%, which is higher than 53.9% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Recent listings by these groups

Disclosures from the groups above, newest first.

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2025-43995 being exploited by ransomware groups?

Yes. CVE-2025-43995 is recorded as exploited by Tengu. Between them these groups account for 49 victim disclosures in this database.

What does CVE-2025-43995 affect?

CVE-2025-43995 affects DSM Data Collector. Dell Storage Center - Dell Storage Manager, version(s) 20.1.21, contain(s) an Improper Authentication vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Protection mechanism bypass. Authentication Bypass in DSM Data Collector. An unauthenticated remote attacker can access APIs exposed by ApiProxy.war in DataCollectorEar.ear by using a special SessionKey and UserId. These userid are special users created in compellentservicesapi for special purposes.

How severe is CVE-2025-43995?

CVE-2025-43995 is rated CRITICAL with a CVSS base score of 9.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.8%, higher than 53.9% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is not currently in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

How should organisations respond to CVE-2025-43995?

Apply the vendor patch for DSM Data Collector as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.