📄 Description (English)
Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure (OMI) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability — Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure (OMI) within Azure VM Management Extensions contains an unspecified vulnerability allowing remote code execution.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2021-38647 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Open Management Infrastructure (OMI) affecting Azure VM Management Extensions with a CVSS score of 9.0. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely on affected systems. With public exploits available, this poses an immediate and severe threat to organizations utilizing Azure infrastructure and OMI components.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 21, 2026 04:55
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability critically impacts Saudi organizations leveraging Azure cloud infrastructure, particularly: (1) Banking sector institutions using Azure for core systems and SAMA-regulated cloud deployments; (2) Government entities and NCA-supervised organizations migrating to Azure cloud; (3) ARAMCO and energy sector companies utilizing Azure for operational technology and management systems; (4) Telecom providers (STC, Mobily) managing customer-facing Azure infrastructure; (5) Healthcare organizations storing patient data on Azure VMs. The vulnerability enables complete system compromise and lateral movement within cloud environments, potentially exposing sensitive financial, operational, and personal data.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking and Financial Services
Government and Public Administration
Energy and Utilities (ARAMCO)
Telecommunications (STC, Mobily)
Healthcare and Medical Services
Cloud Service Providers
Enterprise IT Infrastructure
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
9.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all Azure VMs with OMI components installed (check /opt/omi directory on Linux VMs)
2. Isolate affected systems from production networks if patches cannot be applied immediately
3. Review Azure activity logs for suspicious OMI-related connections (port 5985/5986)
4. Enable Azure Security Center alerts for OMI vulnerability detection
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Apply Microsoft security updates for OMI immediately (version 1.6.8-1 or later for Linux)
2. Update Azure VM Agent to latest version
3. Patch all Azure Extensions that depend on OMI
4. Prioritize patching for systems with public IP addresses or internet exposure
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if immediate patching impossible):
1. Restrict network access to OMI ports (5985/5986) using Network Security Groups (NSGs)
2. Disable OMI service if not actively required: systemctl disable omid
3. Implement strict firewall rules limiting OMI communication to trusted management networks only
4. Enable Azure DDoS Protection and Web Application Firewall (WAF)
DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor for unexpected connections to ports 5985/5986 on Azure VMs
2. Alert on OMI process spawning child processes (cmd.exe, bash, powershell)
3. Track modifications to /opt/omi/bin/ directory
4. Monitor Azure activity logs for suspicious VM extension deployments
5. Implement SIEM rules detecting WinRM/OMI exploitation patterns
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع أجهزة Azure VMs التي تحتوي على مكونات OMI (تحقق من دليل /opt/omi على أجهزة Linux)
2. عزل الأنظمة المتأثرة عن شبكات الإنتاج إذا لم يكن من الممكن تطبيق التصحيحات فوراً
3. مراجعة سجلات نشاط Azure للاتصالات المريبة المتعلقة بـ OMI (المنفذ 5985/5986)
4. تفعيل تنبيهات Azure Security Center لكشف ثغرات OMI
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. تطبيق تحديثات أمان Microsoft لـ OMI فوراً (الإصدار 1.6.8-1 أو أحدث لـ Linux)
2. تحديث وكيل Azure VM إلى أحدث إصدار
3. تصحيح جميع امتدادات Azure التي تعتمد على OMI
4. إعطاء الأولوية لتصحيح الأنظمة ذات عناوين IP العامة أو التعرض للإنترنت
الضوابط البديلة (إذا كان التصحيح الفوري مستحيلاً):
1. تقييد الوصول إلى منافذ OMI (5985/5986) باستخدام مجموعات أمان الشبكة (NSGs)
2. تعطيل خدمة OMI إذا لم تكن مطلوبة بنشاط: systemctl disable omid
3. تنفيذ قواعد جدار الحماية الصارمة التي تحد من اتصالات OMI إلى شبكات الإدارة الموثوقة فقط
4. تفعيل حماية Azure DDoS وجدار تطبيقات الويب (WAF)
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة الاتصالات غير المتوقعة بالمنافذ 5985/5986 على أجهزة Azure VMs
2. التنبيه عند ظهور عملية OMI تولد عمليات فرعية (cmd.exe, bash, powershell)
3. تتبع التعديلات على دليل /opt/omi/bin/
4. مراقبة سجلات نشاط Azure للنشاط المريب لنشر امتدادات VM
5. تنفيذ قواعد SIEM للكشف عن أنماط استغلال WinRM/OMI
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy
A.12.2.1 - Monitoring and logging of information systems
A.13.1.3 - Segregation of networks
🔵 SAMA CSF
ID.RA-1 - Asset management and vulnerability identification
PR.IP-12 - Security patch management
DE.CM-1 - System monitoring and anomaly detection
RS.MI-2 - Incident response and containment
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.12.3.1 - Segregation of duties
A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
A.14.2.5 - Secure development environment
A.12.2.1 - Monitoring and logging
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
6.2 - Security patches and updates
11.2 - Vulnerability scanning
10.2 - Logging and monitoring
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Microsoft:Open Management Infrastructure (OMI)