BIOS administrator password disclosure via kernel hex dump
Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Sep 11, 2026
Information disclosure in affected Linux kernels allows local users to read a Dell BIOS administrator password from the kernel log. The dell-wmi-sysman set_attribute() path places the current password in its request buffer, then passes the entire buffer to print_hex_dump_bytes(). Exposure requires a configured BIOS administrator password, a BIOS attribute update, and access to read kernel log data.
Summary
What happened
Information disclosure in affected Linux kernels allows local users to read a Dell BIOS administrator password from the kernel log. The dell-wmi-sysman set_attribute() path places the current password in its request buffer, then passes the entire buffer to print_hex_dump_bytes(). Exposure requires a configured BIOS administrator password, a BIOS attribute update, and access to read kernel log data.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-89444
- Published
- Sep 11, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1552.001
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 11, 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=5.11
- Affected versionversion=e8a60aa7404bfef37705da5607c97737073ac38d <22222f92b0a5116eb4aac4be81e7b770adfa32ee
- Affected versionversion=e8a60aa7404bfef37705da5607c97737073ac38d <83c80495e45eddf64c6525fb582d8db68f256b71
- Affected versionversion=e8a60aa7404bfef37705da5607c97737073ac38d <ceeee18c927958b74a04b92cf084fc496fa21e8b
- Affected versionversion=e8a60aa7404bfef37705da5607c97737073ac38d <eb73b9d51490bec4f73ac6efdba5ac535fcfee74
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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