CVE-2021-38648
Open Management Infrastructure Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
- CVSS
- 7.8Highscored by the publisher (CNA)
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 3 Nov 2021CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 17 Nov 2021public exploit code
- EPSS
- 11.4%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 4% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 15 Sept 2021analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
- Exploitable
- At runtime
- Attack vector
- local
- Can a WAF block it?
- No. See why
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
| Product | Affected versions | Vendor says fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Azure Automation State Configuration, DSC Extension | >= 2.0.0 and < DSC Agent versions: 2.71.1.25, 2.70.0.30, 3.0.0.3Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Azure Automation Update Management | >= 1.0.0 and < OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Azure Diagnostics (LAD) | >= 3.0.0 and < LAD v4.0.13 and LAD v3.0.135Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Azure Security Center | >= 1.0.0 and < OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Azure Sentinel | >= 1.0.0 and < OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Azure Stack Hub | >= 1.0.0 and < Monitor, Update and Config Mgmnt 1.14.01Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Container Monitoring Solution | >= 1.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Log Analytics Agent | >= 1.0.0 and < OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure | >= 16.0 and < OMI Version 1.6.8-1Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) | >= 1.0.0 and < OMI version: 1.6.8-1Vendor says fixed in: not stated |
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.
Products named in our analysis
- microsoft:azure_automation_state_configuration
- microsoft:azure_automation_update_management
- microsoft:azure_diagnostics_\(lad\)
- microsoft:azure_open_management_infrastructure
- microsoft:azure_security_center
- microsoft:azure_sentinel
- microsoft:azure_stack_hub
- microsoft:container_monitoring_solution
- microsoft:log_analytics_agent
- microsoft:open_management_infrastructure
- microsoft:system_center_operations_manager
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? No. The attack needs local access to the machine, so a WAF is not on its path.
Also consider: patch
Based on the attack vector (local or physical access). We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 3 Nov 2021.
- CISA due date
- 17 Nov 2021, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploit code
- Yes: 1 Metasploit module
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 4 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Metasploit
- exploit/linux/local/cve_2021_38648_omigodexploit, rank excellent
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 15 Sept 2021Published
- 3 Nov 2021Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)48 days later
- 17 Nov 2021CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)14 days later
- 4 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active1,176 days (about 3 years) later
- 10 Aug 2026CVE record last updated552 days (about 2 years) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com94 days (about 3 months) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | LocalLocal access required (shell, logged-in user). | Local access required (shell, logged-in user). |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | LowThe attacker needs basic user privileges. | The attacker needs basic user privileges. |
| User interaction | NoneNo victim action needed. | No victim action needed. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | HighComplete modification possible. | Complete modification possible. |
| Availability | HighFull outage possible. | Full outage possible. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2021-38648 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2021-38648 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2021-38648?
CVE-2021-38648 is rated High with a CVSS score of 7.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2021-38648?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2021-38648. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2021-38648 affect?
CVE-2021-38648 affects microsoft:azure_automation_state_configuration, microsoft:azure_automation_update_management, microsoft:azure_diagnostics_\(lad\), microsoft:azure_open_management_infrastructure, and 7 further products or versions. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
4 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Patches (1)
- msrc.microsoft.com /update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-38648
Other links (3)
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com /en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-38648
- packetstormsecurity.com /files/164925/Microsoft-OMI-Management-Interface-Authentication-Bypass.html
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-38648
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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