Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-81440

Exposed Creds in Dell Openmanage Server Administrator ≤ 11.1.0.3

Published
17 September 2026
Modified
01 October 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
EPSS Score 0.0031 22th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2026-81440 is a high-severity Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798) vulnerability in Dell Openmanage Server Administrator. Its CVSS base score is 7.3 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Credentials In Files (T1552.001); ranked at the 22th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to IA-5 (Authenticator Management) and SC-12 (Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, versions prior to 11.1.0.3, contains a Use of Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker with remote access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Unauthorized access.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
T1078.001 Default Accounts Stealth
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of a default account as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.
T1078 Valid Accounts Stealth
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.
T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
T1552.004 Private Keys Credential Access
Adversaries may search for private key certificate files on compromised systems for insecurely stored credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-73519Shared CWE-798
CVE-2023-51588Shared CWE-798
CVE-2026-80134Shared CWE-798
CVE-2024-10451Shared CWE-798
CVE-2025-13776Shared CWE-798
CVE-2024-57811Shared CWE-798
CVE-2024-22313Shared CWE-798
CVE-2024-38648Shared CWE-798
CVE-2020-11854Shared CWE-798
CVE-2020-8657Shared CWE-798

Affected Assets

dell
openmanage server administrator
≤ 11.1.0.3

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Authenticator management requires secure distribution and handling of credentials, structurally discouraging hard-coded values.

Cryptographic key management mandates proper establishment and handling instead of embedding keys in code.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-01 partial match
prevents

PR.AA-01's credential/key-management processes can reduce the incentive to embed secrets but do not address or detect hard-coded values in source code, so the weakness remains fully possible.

PR.AA-02 none match
prevents

PR.AA-02 addresses human identity proofing and per-person credential issuance at enrollment; it has no bearing on whether developers embed static credentials in software.

PR.DS-01 none match
prevents

PR.DS-01 addresses encryption and integrity of stored data but never touches credential or key management practices, so it neither prevents hard-coded credentials nor removes any of their risk.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

removes
removes
removes
removes
prevents

Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.

References