osctrl: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command
CVE-2026-28279 is a high-severity improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command vulnerability in osctrl from Jmpsec, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.4 out of 10. It can be exploited from the same local network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. Affected osctrl versions: < 0.5.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.97% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 62% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of osctrl you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- AdjacentThe attacker must be on the same local network segment.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.3 | High | CNA (github.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.4 | High | NVD |
Official description
osctrl is an osquery management solution. Prior to version 0.5.0, an OS command injection vulnerability exists in the `osctrl-admin` environment configuration. An authenticated administrator can inject arbitrary shell commands via the hostname parameter when creating or editing environments. These commands are embedded into enrollment one-liner scripts generated using Go's `text/template` package (which does not perform shell escaping) and execute on every endpoint that enrolls using the compromised environment. An attacker with administrator access can achieve remote code execution on every endpoint that enrolls using the compromised environment. Commands execute as root/SYSTEM (the privilege level used for osquery enrollment) before osquery is installed, leaving no agent-level audit trail. This enables backdoor installation, credential exfiltration, and full endpoint compromise. This is fixed in osctrl `v0.5.0`. As a workaround, restrict osctrl administrator access to trusted personnel, review existing environment configurations for suspicious hostnames, and/or monitor enrollment scripts for unexpected commands.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command
The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command before it is sent to a downstream component.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- If at all possible, use library calls rather than external processes to recreate the desired functionality.
- For any data that will be used to generate a command to be executed, keep as much of that data out of external control as possible. For example, in web applications, this may require storing the data locally in the session's state instead of sending it out to the client in a hidden form field.
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
More Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command vulnerabilities (CWE-78)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Patches and release notes
- github.com/jmpsec/osctrl/pull/777Issue Tracking
- github.com/jmpsec/osctrl/pull/780Issue Tracking
Other vulnerabilities in osctrl
- 8.7 High severity
Recent Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 7.7 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
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