CVE-2026-46461
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedDell Server Hardware Manager, versions prior to 3.2.2, contains an Improper Access Control vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Elevation of privileges.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceDell Server Hardware Manager versions prior to 3.2.2 have an Improper Access Control vulnerability that allows a low-privileged local attacker to escalate privileges. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user permissions before allowing access to privileged operations, enabling a standard user to execute functions reserved for administrators.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 3.2.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Dell Server Hardware Manager installationSearch for the Dell Server Hardware Manager installation directory in standard program folders (e.g., C:\Program Files\Dell\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\) or check Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Dell for the presence of Server Hardware ManagerAffected if The software is not found or the installation directory does not exist, then the system is not affected by this specific vulnerability
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Determine installed versionLocate the main executable (typically named something like ServerHardwareManager.exe, HardwareManager.exe, or similar) and view its file properties to obtain the version number, or query the Windows registry key where Dell stores version information for this applicationAffected if The installed version is lower than 3.2.2 (for example, 3.2.1, 3.2.0, 3.1.x, or any version starting with 3.0 or earlier), indicating the system falls within the vulnerable version range
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Confirm user account configurationCheck if local user accounts exist on the system beyond the administrator account by using 'net user' command or reviewing Local Users and Groups (lusrmgr.msc)Affected if Standard or low-privileged user accounts are present on the system where the software runs, as this creates the condition for privilege escalation to be exploitable
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Verify remote/local access exposureExamine network listening ports and firewall rules to determine if the Dell Server Hardware Manager service is accessible to network users, or check if the system permits console logins by non-administrator usersAffected if The service is network-accessible or the system allows login by untrusted standard users, making the privilege escalation path viable for an attacker
A system is affected if Dell Server Hardware Manager is installed at a version lower than 3.2.2 and the environment contains non-administrator user accounts or allows remote/local access by low-privileged users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped3.2.2
Upgrade Dell Server Hardware Manager to version 3.2.2 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict physical and logical access to the server running this software to trusted administrators only.
3.2.2
- Verify the current installed version of Dell Server Hardware Manager
- Download Dell Server Hardware Manager version 3.2.2 from the official Dell support website
- Review release notes for version 3.2.2 to confirm the security fix addresses CVE-2026-46461
- Create a backup of the current configuration if applicable
- Install version 3.2.2 following the standard Dell installation procedures
- Verify the installation was successful and the new version is running
- Confirm the vulnerability is no longer present by testing that low-privileged users cannot escalate privileges
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-46461 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-46461 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data