Unauthenticated root code execution via omitted authorization header
Published Sep 15, 2021 · Updated Aug 10, 2026
Missing authentication in Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure before 1.6.8-1 allows remote attackers to execute code as root. When an Authorization header is absent, omiengine treats authentication as successful and forwards the request with a zero-initialized AuthInfo structure, assigning uid=0 and gid=0. Remote exploitation requires an exposed OMI management port, typically 5985, 5986, or 1270; affected commands execute through the SCX provider with root privileges.
Summary
What happened
Missing authentication in Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure before 1.6.8-1 allows remote attackers to execute code as root. When an Authorization header is absent, omiengine treats authentication as successful and forwards the request with a zero-initialized AuthInfo structure, assigning uid=0 and gid=0. Remote exploitation requires an exposed OMI management port, typically 5985, 5986, or 1270; affected commands execute through the SCX provider with root privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-38647
- Published
- Sep 15, 2021
- Updated
- Aug 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft Sentinel
- Classifications
- T1059.004, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 15, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 10, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1.0.0 <OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
View daily counts
| Reporting day | Unique IPs |
|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2026 | 4 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 1 |
| Sep 12, 2026 | 2 |
| Sep 13, 2026 | 2 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 2 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Unavailable |
| Sep 16, 2026 | 2 |
Public exploit references
- AlteredSecurity OMIGOD proof of conceptfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- Microsoft-observed OMI exploitationreported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listingknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo