Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain high-privileged OMSA access
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DeliverySend crafted oversized request over network
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ExploitOverflow stack buffer, overwrite return address
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ExecutionExecute arbitrary code as OMSA service
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ImpactFull compromise of managed host
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Stack buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to already hold high privileges (PR:H) on Dell OpenManage Server Administrator and network reachability to the OMSA service; the target must be running a version prior to 11.1.0.3. There is no user-interaction requirement (UI:N) and attack complexity is low (AC:L) once privileged access is held. The high-privilege prerequisite is the primary limiting factor - this cannot be triggered by an unauthenticated or low-privileged remote attacker, so realistic risk is confined to compromised admin accounts, malicious insiders, or chaining from a prior privilege-granting flaw in the same advisory bundle. |
| Impact | Vendor CVSS 3.1 base is 7.2 (High) with vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - the PR:H (high privilege) requirement is the single most important risk-reducing signal, because it means an attacker must already hold administrative/high-privilege access before this stack-based buffer overflow can be triggered for code execution. This is not an unauthenticated-RCE emergency despite the network attack vector and full C:H/I:H/A:H impact. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC were provided, so there is no evidence of active or imminent exploitation. SSVC-style reading: exploitation status = none observed; technical impact = total (code execution); automatable = likely No, since it requires pre-existing high privilege rather than a scannable unauthenticated entry point. Net: this is a defense-in-depth patch priority (a privileged attacker or compromised admin account could escalate to full code execution on the management agent), not a drop-everything internet-facing crisis. This CVE is one of a large DSA-2026-403 bundle and is a near-twin of the heap-based overflow CVE-2026-81477 (identical CVSS/vector); the more urgent items in the same advisory are the unauthenticated PR:N flaws (e.g. CVE-2026-81475 missing authentication for critical function). |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A high-privileged attacker with remote access to the OMSA management interface (for example, an administrator whose credentials were phished, or an insider) sends a crafted oversized input to a vulnerable OMSA function, overflowing a stack buffer and overwriting the return address to execute arbitrary code in the context of the OMSA service on the managed Dell PowerEdge host. No public exploit code was identified at time of analysis, and the PR:H requirement means the attacker must first obtain privileged OMSA access. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 17, 2026
Stack-based buffer overflow in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) versions prior to 11.1.0.3 allows an attacker who already holds high privileges on the OMSA service to achieve remote code execution over the network. Exploitation is constrained by the CVSS PR:H prerequisite-only compromised administrative accounts, malicious insiders, or chaining from another privilege-granting flaw can trigger it-but no user interaction is required and attack complexity is low. No public exploit code or CISA KEV active exploitation is identified in the available intelligence.
RemediationAI
Upgrade Dell OpenManage Server Administrator to version 11.1.0.3 or later as directed by Dell DSA-2026-403 (https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000506586/dsa-2026-403-security-update-for-dell-openmanage-server-administrator-omsa-network-access-vulnerabilities). If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting network access to the OMSA management interface to trusted administrative networks and blocking it from untrusted segments; this may limit legitimate remote management and monitoring, so validate access requirements first. Also enforce least privilege and closely monitor or rotate high-privilege OMSA accounts, since exploitation requires an attacker to already hold high privileges-compensating controls such as network segmentation or disabling remote OMSA access are temporary and do not remove the underlying stack overflow risk.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 5 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
CVE-2026-81480 is a stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121) in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, a web-based systems management application used to administer Dell servers locally and remotely. The vulnerability occurs when the OMSA service processes crafted network input without properly validating the length of data copied into a fixed-size stack buffer; successful corruption of stack memory can redirect execution and lead to code execution in the context of the affected service. The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H shows network reachability, low complexity, and no user interaction, but the PR:H value is the dominant risk-limiting factor: the attacker must already possess high privileges on OMSA before triggering the overflow. No CPE strings were included in the provided intelligence, so exact platform-specific product identifiers are not confirmed beyond the vendor's version range.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable management agent (AV:N) but code execution requires pre-existing high privilege (PR:H), no user interaction; overflow yields full code execution so C:H/I:H/A:H, no scope change.
Primary rating from Vendor (emc).
CVSS VectorVendor: emc
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, versions prior to 11.1.0.3, contains a Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability. A high privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Code execution.
Executive ViewAI
Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA), the toolset used to manage the physical hardware of our server fleet, is affected by a high-severity buffer overflow (CVE-2026-81480) in releases prior to 11.1.0.3 that can let an attacker run arbitrary code remotely on the management host. The practical risk is concentrated in privileged insiders and compromised administrative accounts rather than outside attackers, but a successful exploit would hand an adversary control of a system that governs firmware, disks, and power state across many servers - a high-leverage stepping stone into the wider data center. Leadership should care because no vendor patch is yet available, so exposure must be managed through network segmentation and identity controls in the near term.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict network reachability of OMSA management interfaces (default TCP 1311/5986) to a hardened, tightly monitored management VLAN or jump host; block external and general user-network access at the firewall; enforce least privilege and MFA on OMSA administrative accounts; disable unused OMSA web/WS-Man services where command-line management suffices; enable and centrally monitor privileged login and process-execution logging for signs of chaining from another privilege-granting flaw; and monitor Dell's advisory channel for a fixed 11.1.0.3-or-later build and patch promptly once released.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
A stack-based buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a buffer located on the stack than it was allocated to hold.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
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Path traversal (CWE-22) in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) versions prior to 11.1.0.3 lets a low-privileged,
Open redirect vulnerability in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) before 7.3.0 allows remote attackers to redir
Local denial of service in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) versions prior to 11.1.0.3 allows an unauthentica
Dell EMC OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) versions 9.5 and prior contain a path traversal vulnerability. Rated med
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) before 6.5.0.1, 7.0 before 7.0.0
EUVD-2026-81465
GHSA-959p-pcp5-8vj3
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB