Description

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, versions prior to 11.1.0.3, contains a Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Elevation of privileges.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-17T11:17:03.077Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-17T11:17:03.077Z",
  "executiveSummary": "Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) versions prior to 11.1.0.3 are susceptible to a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability.\nThis flaw allows a local, low-privileged attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the service, potentially resulting in unauthorized elevation of privileges.\nThe vulnerability resides within the memory management mechanisms of the OMSA service, which fails to correctly sanitize user-supplied input before copying it into heap-allocated buffers.\nThe primary risk is a total compromise of the OMSA service's security domain, allowing a local user to escalate their permissions to those of the service account, which often runs with high-level administrative or system privileges.\nExploitation requires the attacker to have legitimate local access to the system, enabling them to interact directly with the vulnerable OMSA component.\nGiven the nature of the vulnerability, it presents a significant threat to internal system integrity and security boundary enforcement.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow occurring within Dell OpenManage Server Administrator prior to version 11.1.0.3.\nA heap buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a heap-allocated buffer than the buffer is designed to hold. In this specific instance, the vulnerable component fails to perform adequate bounds checking on inputs received from an interface accessible to local users.\nThe attack flow initiates when an attacker with local system access supplies specially crafted input to an OMSA API or interface that processes data using an insecure memory copy function. Because the input size is not strictly validated against the destination buffer's allocated size, the subsequent memory operation overwrites adjacent data structures on the heap.\nBy carefully controlling the content of the overflowed data, an attacker may be able to manipulate function pointers, object vtables, or other critical memory structures residing in the heap. Overwriting these structures allows the attacker to redirect the execution flow of the OMSA service to malicious code or payloads previously injected into the memory space.\nBecause OMSA services frequently operate with elevated privileges (often SYSTEM or root, depending on the OS), successful exploitation allows the local attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution at this higher privilege level. This effectively bypasses the operating system's standard user-mode isolation.\nThe exploitation process typically requires the attacker to identify the specific memory alignment and object layout of the vulnerable service to ensure that the overflow corrupts the intended memory target rather than causing an immediate access violation or system crash. Once the malicious payload is triggered through the overflow, the process context permits the attacker to execute arbitrary commands, install persistence mechanisms, or extract sensitive system information, leading to full elevation of privileges."
}