CVE-2021-38648: Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure (OMI) Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 3 Nov 2021, 49 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

11.4%

EPSS score, percentile 96 of all scored records

How severe?

7.8 High

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 17 Nov 2021. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Advisories and patches (1)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• from 2.0.0 to before DSC Agent versions: 2.71.1.25, 2.70.0.30, 3.0.0.3
• from 1.0.0 to before OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0
• from 3.0.0 to before LAD v4.0.13 and LAD v3.0.135
• from 1.0.0 to before OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0
• from 1.0.0 to before OMS Agent for Linux GA v1.13.40-0
• from 1.0.0 to before Monitor, Update and Config Mgmnt 1.14.01

and 4 more in the table below

Versions by product

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

CISA due date for this action: 17 November 2021.

Advisories and patches

• Open Management Infrastructure Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (Vendor advisory, Patch)

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-38648

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure (OMI) within Azure VM Management Extensions contains an unspecified vulnerability allowing privilege escalation.

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

• CISA added CVE-2021-38648 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 3 Nov 2021.
• CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 17 Nov 2021.
• The CVE record was published on 15 Sep 2021, 49 days before it was added to KEV.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 11.4% (percentile 96), as of 28 Oct 2026.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

Open Management Infrastructure Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Open Management Infrastructure Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

• CWE-1390

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

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