CVE-2026-91912 in OpenManage Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2026
Dell OpenManage Enterprise, versions prior to 4.8.0, contains an Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2026
The identified security flaw resides within Dell OpenManage Enterprise software versions preceding the 4.8.0 release and is classified as a use of hard-coded cryptographic keys. This architectural weakness involves the embedding of static encryption or decryption secrets directly into the application source code or compiled binaries rather than deriving them from secure, dynamic sources such as hardware-backed key stores or user-provided credentials during initialization. By utilizing fixed keys that remain constant across different installations and over time, the system fails to adhere to fundamental principles of cryptographic hygiene which dictate that secret material must be unique per instance and protected against unauthorized access. This approach creates a single point of failure where compromise of the application logic or extraction of the binary yields immediate access to all encrypted data secured by those keys, effectively nullifying the confidentiality guarantees provided by the encryption mechanism itself.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability allows attackers with low-privileged local access on the host system running Dell OpenManage Enterprise to exploit the predictable nature of the cryptographic material. An adversary possessing even minimal user-level privileges can often inspect application memory dumps, configuration files, or binary structures to locate these hard-coded secrets. Once obtained, the attacker can decrypt sensitive information stored within the management platform, which typically includes infrastructure credentials, network topology details, server health metrics, and potentially administrative login hashes. The resulting impact is a significant breach of confidentiality leading to comprehensive information disclosure that undermines the integrity of the entire managed environment since attackers may use harvested secrets for lateral movement or further privilege escalation attacks against connected systems.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-798 which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials, and falls under the broader category of CWE-321 regarding the use of a single key for multiple cryptographic operations when uniqueness is required. In terms of adversary tactics as defined by MITRE ATT&CK, this flaw facilitates techniques related to Credential Access such as OS Credential Dumping or Unsecured Credentials if the hard-coded keys are used to protect stored authentication data. It also relates to Defense Evasion through Obfuscated Files or Information since attackers may leverage these static secrets to bypass security controls that rely on encrypted storage for protection. The exploitation path typically involves local privilege escalation followed by cryptographic analysis, highlighting the risk of relying on application-layer encryption without hardware-assisted key management solutions like Trusted Platform Modules which provide isolation and secure generation capabilities.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching to version 4.8.0 or later where Dell has addressed this implementation error by implementing dynamic key derivation processes that tie cryptographic secrets to unique instance identifiers or user-specific contexts rather than embedding them statically in the codebase. In environments where upgrading is not immediately feasible, administrators should implement strict access controls limiting local login privileges to only those users who absolutely require administrative functions for system maintenance. Additionally, deploying host-based intrusion detection systems capable of monitoring memory access patterns and file integrity can help detect attempts to extract sensitive data from application processes. Long-term architectural improvements should involve integrating with enterprise key management infrastructure such as HashiCorp Vault or AWS KMS to ensure that all cryptographic operations utilize ephemeral keys generated securely at runtime rather than relying on static secrets embedded within the software distribution package itself.