CVE-2026-91913 in OpenManage Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2026
Dell OpenManage Enterprise, versions prior to 4.8.0, contains an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Command execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2026
The identified security flaw resides within Dell OpenManage Enterprise software versions preceding 4.8.0 and is classified as a critical input validation failure known technically as OS Command Injection. This vulnerability stems from an improper neutralization of special elements used in operating system commands, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary shell commands into the application's execution flow. The root cause lies in insufficient sanitization or escaping of user-supplied data before it is passed to underlying system-level command interpreters such as /bin/sh or cmd.exe. When the software processes specific inputs without rigorous validation against a whitelist of allowed characters, it inadvertently treats injected metacharacters like semicolons, pipes, ampersands, or backticks as executable instructions rather than literal data strings. This fundamental architectural weakness bypasses intended security controls by leveraging the trust relationship between the application and the operating system shell environment.
From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited by a low-privileged user who already possesses remote access to the management interface. Typically, lower-level accounts are restricted from performing administrative actions or accessing sensitive configuration data, but in this scenario, the command injection capability effectively elevates privileges beyond what was originally granted. By crafting specific HTTP requests or API calls containing malicious payloads, an attacker can force the vulnerable application to execute system commands with the permissions of the service account running Dell OpenManage Enterprise. This often results in full remote code execution on the host machine hosting the management platform, granting the adversary complete control over the underlying operating system without needing higher-level administrative credentials within the application itself.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Once an attacker achieves command execution, they can install backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data stored by the management console such as network topology maps or credential stores, pivot to other systems on the internal network using the compromised host as a foothold, or disrupt critical infrastructure monitoring services. The ability to execute commands remotely means that physical access is not required, and exploitation can be automated at scale across multiple vulnerable instances. This significantly expands the attack surface for organizations relying on Dell OpenManage Enterprise for centralized hardware management, potentially leading to widespread compromise of IT assets if left unpatched.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action must be taken by upgrading Dell OpenManage Enterprise to version 4.8.0 or later where these input validation mechanisms have been hardened and special characters are properly escaped before command execution. In environments where patching is not immediately feasible, network segmentation should be enforced to restrict access to the management interface exclusively from trusted administrative subnets. Additionally, implementing strict web application firewalls with rules designed to detect common OS injection patterns such as shell metacharacters in query parameters can provide a layer of defense-in-depth. Regular security audits and penetration testing focused on input validation flaws are also recommended to identify similar weaknesses across the broader IT infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-78, which covers Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command, and maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, specifically sub-techniques related to command and script interpreters like T1059.004 for Unix or Linux shells or T1059.001 for Windows commands.