A critical stack-based buffer overflow in FreeIPMI versions prior to 1.6.19 exposes systems to potential remote code execution by unauthenticated attackers.

The vulnerability is a stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121) located in the _output_dell_system_info_cmc_info function within the ipmi-oem-dell.c source file. An unauthenticated attacker can trigger this flaw by sending a specifically crafted cmc-info subcommand to the dell get-system-info utility.

The CVSS score of 9.8 reflects the high risk posed by this vulnerability, as it allows for full compromise of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system without requiring user interaction or authentication. Successful exploitation could lead to total system takeover, unauthorized access to sensitive IPMI management data, and potential lateral movement within the network.

Immediate Action: Upgrade the FreeIPMI installation to version 1.6.19 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes.

Proactive Monitoring: Monitor system logs for unusual input patterns or crashes specifically related to the ipmi-oem utility, as these may indicate attempted exploitation.

Compensating Controls: Restrict network access to IPMI management interfaces to trusted management subnets only, effectively limiting the attack surface available to potential adversaries.

Public Exploit Available: No (exploit_available: false)

Given the critical nature of this buffer overflow, organizations using FreeIPMI must prioritize updating to version 1.6.19 immediately. Failure to patch leaves management interfaces vulnerable to remote exploitation, which could result in a complete compromise of the underlying host system.