Root command execution via skipped authentication
Published Sep 15, 2021 · Updated Aug 10, 2026
Privilege escalation in Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure before 1.6.8-1 allows local users to execute commands as root. The omiengine default handler forwards command messages before authentication, while a zero-initialized AuthInfo structure supplies root UID and GID values to omiserver. A low-privileged user must access the local OMI socket and omit the authentication handshake; successful exploitation grants root command execution.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure before 1.6.8-1 allows local users to execute commands as root. The omiengine default handler forwards command messages before authentication, while a zero-initialized AuthInfo structure supplies root UID and GID values to omiserver. A low-privileged user must access the local OMI socket and omit the authentication handshake; successful exploitation grants root command execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-38648
- Published
- Sep 15, 2021
- Updated
- Aug 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft Sentinel
- Classifications
- CWE-1390, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 15, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2021Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entry for CVE-2021-38648
- Aug 10, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=1.0.0 <OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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.
Public exploit references
- Microsoft OMI Management Interface Authentication Bypassfunctional · validated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entry for CVE-2021-38648known exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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