Medium [CVE-2026-89444] Linux kernel: dell-wmi-sysman driver discloses plaintext admin password in kernel logs
This medium-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-89444.
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Summary
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. The `dell-wmi-sysman` driver, responsible for managing Dell WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) system attributes, incorrectly logs sensitive information.
Specifically, when setting a BIOS attribute, the driver populates a security buffer with the current administrator password and then inadvertently dumps the entire buffer, including the plaintext password, into the kernel log. This can lead to the disclosure of the administrator password to any user with access to the kernel logs.
Red Hat severity: Moderate — CVSS 5.5 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N). Weakness: CWE-256.
Affected versions
No affected-version range was extracted from the source record. The vendor advisory is authoritative — check it before change work.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 2 hours ago·verify at source
Fixed versions
No fixed release is recorded yet. That does not prove no patch exists — confirm against the vendor advisory.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 2 hours ago·verify at source
Mitigation
The source record does not include mitigation steps. That is not a statement that no fix exists — read the vendor advisory below for the authoritative guidance.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 2 hours ago·verify at source
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