External risk intelligence

FreeIPMI cmc-info stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8)

CVE-2026-85507

FreeIPMI is a collection of in-band management tools typically executed locally by administrators on a server or workstation to interact with IPMI-enabled hardware. It is not designed as a network-listening service or an internet-facing gateway, and its usage as a command-line utility makes public-facing network exposure in common deployments very unlikely.

Buffer Overflow

Halo Surface Signal: 1 out of 5 — much less likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

A critical vulnerability has been identified in FreeIPMI, a tool used for system management. This issue could allow unauthorized access to system information, potentially leading to significant data compromise. While FreeIPMI is typically used locally by administrators, its exposure to external threats needs to be confirmed.

Enables unauthorized system information access.
Confirms relevance and exposure of this tool.
Assess potential impact on your systems.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker could target the `ipmi-oem` component within FreeIPMI by sending specially crafted data to the `dell get-system-info` command. This could trigger a stack-based buffer overflow, potentially allowing for significant system compromise.

No authentication or user interaction needed.
Triggered by the `cmc-info` subcommand.
Leads to critical system compromise.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code when the `dell get-system-info` command is run with the `cmc-info` subcommand. This could affect system data and service behavior.

System configuration data at risk.
Remote code execution via crafted input.
System compromise or data loss.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

This vulnerability in FreeIPMI's ipmi-oem component is likely to be owned by teams managing server hardware and its firmware, potentially the infrastructure or platform teams. The first practical step is to identify all systems running FreeIPMI, assess their exposure and criticality, and then coordinate remediation, which may involve vendor engagement for firmware updates.

Infrastructure or platform teams should own remediation.
Verify FreeIPMI deployment and system criticality.
Plan and coordinate updates based on risk.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

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Frequently asked questions

What is FreeIPMI and how is it used?

FreeIPMI is a suite of software tools provided by the GNU project, designed for in-band management of server hardware. Administrators use these command-line utilities to monitor and configure systems that support the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). It acts as a bridge between the operating system and the hardware's management controller, allowing users to perform tasks like checking sensor data, managing power, or retrieving system information directly from the server's local environment.

What does the stack-based buffer overflow in CVE-2026-85507 mean?

This vulnerability, classified as CWE-121, involves a flaw in how the software manages memory when processing specific data. Because the component fails to properly verify the size of input provided to it, a specially crafted command can cause the application to write more data into a fixed memory area than it can hold. This overflow can overwrite adjacent memory, which may allow an attacker to disrupt the program or potentially execute unauthorized instructions on the underlying system.

How is this FreeIPMI vulnerability triggered?

The flaw is triggered specifically when the 'cmc-info' subcommand is executed within the 'dell get-system-info' command of the ipmi-oem component. The issue occurs when the program attempts to process malformed data sent to this function. It is important to note that invoking other FreeIPMI commands or using subcommands unrelated to this specific Dell-specific diagnostic path does not activate this overflow condition.

Is my system at risk from this network-based threat?

While the vulnerability is theoretically reachable over a network, Halo Surface Signal notes that FreeIPMI is primarily a set of local command-line tools, not a network-listening service or internet-facing gateway. Consequently, public-facing exposure is very unlikely in typical environments. You should primarily focus your concern on internal systems or management workstations where users or scripts might execute these diagnostic commands against hardware.

What are the first steps to address this CVE?

Start by identifying all servers or workstations in your environment that have the FreeIPMI package installed. Once located, verify which systems use the ipmi-oem component for hardware management. Since this is a software-level issue in the FreeIPMI utilities, coordinate with your infrastructure or platform teams to plan for an update to version 1.6.19 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes for this component.

References

Written by Nicholas Merritt

Nicholas Merritt is VP of Security Solutions at Halo Security. With more than 25 years across application security, vulnerability prioritization, and offensive security, he helps teams translate threat data into practical exposure validation and remediation focus. He authors Halo Threat Intelligence CVE advisories using Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context to prioritize internet-facing risk.