Weakness (CWE)
CWE-78: OS Command Injection
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 to prevent it (8 mitigations)
-
Architecture and Design
If at all possible, use library calls rather than external processes to recreate the desired functionality.
-
Architecture and Design, Operation
Run the code in a "jail" or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict which files can be accessed in a particular directory or which commands can be executed by the software.
OS-level examples include the Unix chroot jail, AppArmor, and SELinux. In general, managed code may provide some protection. For example, java.io.FilePermission in the Java SecurityManager allows the software to specify restrictions on file operations.
This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of the application may still be subject to compromise.
Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
-
Architecture and Design
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.
-
Architecture and Design
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.
-
Architecture and Design
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
For example, consider using the ESAPI Encoding control [REF-45] or a similar tool, library, or framework. These will help the programmer encode outputs in a manner less prone to error.
-
Implementation
While it is risky to use dynamically-generated query strings, code, or commands that mix control and data together, sometimes it may be unavoidable. Properly quote arguments and escape any special characters within those arguments. The most conservative approach is to escape or filter all characters that do not pass an extremely strict allowlist (such as everything that is not alphanumeric or white space). If some special characters are still needed, such as white space, wrap each argument in quotes after the escaping/filtering step. Be careful of argument injection (CWE-88).
-
Implementation
If the program to be executed allows arguments to be specified within an input file or from standard input, then consider using that mode to pass arguments instead of the command line.
-
Architecture and Design
If available, use structured mechanisms that automatically enforce the separation between data and code. These mechanisms may be able to provide the relevant quoting, encoding, and validation automatically, instead of relying on the developer to provide this capability at every point where output is generated.
Some languages offer multiple functions that can be used to invoke commands. Where possible, identify any function that invokes a command shell using a single string, and replace it with a function that requires individual arguments. These functions typically perform appropriate quoting and filtering of arguments. For example, in C, the system() function accepts a string that contains the entire command to be executed, whereas execl(), execve(), and others require an array of strings, one for each argument. In Windows, CreateProcess() only accepts one command at a time. In Perl, if system() is provided with an array of arguments, then it will quote each of the arguments.
Source: MITRE CWE-78
5,327 results · Feed
-
High 7.5
yt-dlp: Arbitrary command injection possible if --exec option used with yt-dlp
### Summary yt-dlp's `--exec` option is vulnerable to arbitrary command injection when handling untrusted metadata if the argument uses standard string formatting (e.g. `%(title)s`) or other unsafe conversions. An attacker could achieve remote code execution …
-
High 8.5
OS Command Injection in IPv6 PPPoE Configuration in TP-Link TL-WR940N
An authenticated OS command injection vulnerability exists in the IPv6 PPPoE configuration handler in TL-WR940N v6 due to improper sanitization of user input. An attacker with administrative access may exploit this issue to execute arbitrary system commands w…
-
High 8.5
OS Command Injection in BigPond Cable (BPA) Configuration in TP-Link TL-WR940N
An authenticated OS command injection vulnerability exists in the BigPond Cable (BPA) WAN configuration module in TL-WR940N v6 due to improper sanitization of user input. An attacker with administrative access may exploit this issue to execute arbitrary syste…
-
Critical 9.1
OS Commands Executed with Administrative Permissions in Radiflow iSAP Smart Collector
The device has a webserver that exposes a REST API authenticated with a token on the management network. By exploiting an OS command injection vulnerability an authenticated attacker can send arbitrary commands to the device that are executed with administrat…
-
High 8.1
OpenClaw < 2026.4.2 - Shell Positional Parameters Bypass in Inline-Eval Checks
OpenClaw before 2026.4.2 contains an inline-eval bypass vulnerability allowing authenticated operators to weaken strict allowlist checks via shell positional parameters. Attackers can combine allowlisted tools with shell positional arguments to place inline-e…
-
Medium 4.3
OpenClaw < 2026.5.26 - Exec Allowlist Bypass via Transparent Command Wrappers
OpenClaw before 2026.5.26 contains an exec allowlist bypass vulnerability allowing authenticated operators to execute wrapper-level side effects outside allowlisted command intent. Attackers can craft command requests that bypass allowlist validation by lever…
-
High 8.8
indirect remote shell command injection via unsanitized DHCP options in wicked
Passing of unsanitized strings from DHCP replies into the wicked dhcp client before wicked 0.6.79 could be used by attackers operating a malicious DHCP server to execute code on the local machine.
-
High 7.5
Galaxy_ng: shell injection in legacy role import via unsanitized git ref names
A command injection vulnerability was found in galaxy_ng. The do_git_checkout() function in the legacy role import API (v1) interpolates unsanitized git ref names (branch/tag names) into shell commands executed via subprocess.run() with shell=True. An authent…
-
High 8.8
Command Injection via name parameter
Due to the improper neutralization of special elements used in a name parameter a low privileged remote attacker can exploit a command injection vulnerability in the Managed Ethernet Switch, resulting in full system compromise.
-
High 8.8
Improper input validation in the SSH Elevate Shell feature allows an authenticated user with permission to create or mo…
-
High 7.8
BrowserStack Cypress CL: Command Injection via cypress_config_file leads to arbitrary code execution through malicious browserstack.json
The browserstack-cypress-cli is BrowserStack's CLI which allows users to run Cypress tests on BrowserStack. Versions prior to 1.36.4 are vulnerable to OS command injection via the cypress_config_file configuration parameter. In readCypressConfigUtil.js, the l…
-
High 7.5
Core Privileged Access Manager (BoKS) upgrade tooling command injection vulnerability
Fortra BoKS Manager contains an OS command injection vulnerability in the client upgrade and patch tooling for legacy tar-based client installations. A malicious or compromised legacy tar-installed client selected for upgrade or patching may be able to cause …
-
Critical 9.8
Core Privileged Access Manager (BoKS) autoregistration service command injection vulnerability
Fortra's Core Privileged Access Manager (BoKS) contains an OS command injection vulnerability in the boks_autoregisterd service. A remote attacker with network access to the service may be able to cause commands to be executed with the privileges of the serv…
-
High 8.1
An OS command injection vulnerability in the /manage/features/media component of kanishka-linux Reminiscence v0.3.0 all…
-
Critical 9.8
Tenda 5G03 V05.03.02.04 (Version 1.0) is vulnerable to Command injection in the function action_radio_on_with_ia_apn vi…
-
Critical 9.8
Tenda 5G03 V05.03.02.04 (Version 1.0) is vulnerable to Command injection in the function action_ims_on_with_apn via the…
-
Critical 9.8
Tenda 5G03 V05.03.02.04 (Version 1.0) is vulnerable to Command injection in the function action_dial_call via the dialN…
-
Critical 9.8
Tenda 5G03 V05.03.02.04 (Version 1.0) is vulnerable to Command injection in the function action_unlock_sim via the pin …
-
Critical 9.8
Tenda 5G03 V05.03.02.04 (Version 1.0) is vulnerable to Command injection in the function action_set_rat_mode via the ra…
-
Critical 9.8
Tenda 5G03 V05.03.02.04 (Version 1.0) is vulnerable to Command injection in the function action_set_volume via the volu…
-
High 8.6
Config::IniFiles versions before 3.001000 for Perl allow OS command injection and file overwrite via a 2-arg open() of the -file argument in _make_filehandle
Config::IniFiles versions before 3.001000 for Perl allow OS command injection and file overwrite via a 2-arg open() of the -file argument in _make_filehandle. Config::IniFiles::_make_filehandle opens a filename argument with Perl's 2-arg open(), so a filename…
-
Critical 9.8
GD versions before 2.86 for Perl allow OS command injection and file overwrite via a 2-arg open() of filename arguments in _make_filehandle
GD versions before 2.86 for Perl allow OS command injection and file overwrite via a 2-arg open() of filename arguments in _make_filehandle. GD::Image::_make_filehandle opens a filename argument with Perl's 2-arg open(), so a filename that begins or ends with…
-
High 8.3
OpenClaw < 2026.5.18 - Arbitrary File Read via Shell Expansion in system.run Safe-bin Allowlist
OpenClaw before 2026.5.18 contains a policy enforcement vulnerability in system.run safe-bin allowlist validation that allows shell expansion to modify command interpretation on POSIX nodes. Authenticated operators can exploit shell metacharacters in approved…
-
Medium 6.6
OpenClaw < 2026.5.12 - Exec Denylist Bypass in Bundle MCP Loopback Session Spawn
OpenClaw before 2026.5.12 contains an exec denylist bypass vulnerability in the bundle MCP loopback session-spawn path that allows authenticated callers to bypass intended command restrictions. Attackers can reach the affected bundled MCP session-spawn path t…
-
Critical 9.9CVE-2026-46716 Public exploit
Nezha Monitoring: RoleMember can run shell on every server (cross-tenant RCE) via POST /api/v1/cron
Nezha Monitoring is a self-hostable, lightweight, servers and websites monitoring and O&M tool. From version 1.4.0 to before version 2.0.8, a RoleMember user can create a scheduled cron task with Cover=CronCoverAll, Servers=[] and an arbitrary Command. At eve…
-
Medium 6.5
@apostrophecms/cli: Command Injection in apos create via Unsanitized Password Input
ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system. Versions of the @apostrophecms/cli package up to and including 3.6.0 contain a command injection vulnerability in the apos create command. User-supplied input from the password prompt is embed…
-
High 8.0
MariaDB: unsafe usage of `wsrep_sst_receive_address` values on the joiner side
MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. From versions 10.6.1 to before 10.6.27, 10.11.1 to before 10.11.18, 11.4.1 to before 11.4.12, 11.8.1 to before 11.8.8, and 12.3.1, a high-privileged MariaDB user could've used wsrep_sst_receive_add…
-
High 8.0
MariaDB: wsrep SST unsafe parameter handling on the donor side (rsync)
MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. From versions 10.6.1 to before 10.6.27, 10.11.1 to before 10.11.18, 11.4.1 to before 11.4.12, 11.8.1 to before 11.8.8, and 12.3.1, during the SST the donor node is interpolating parameters that the…
-
High 8.0
MariaDB: wsrep SST unsafe parameter handling on the donor side
MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. From versions 10.6.1 to before 10.6.26, 10.11.1 to before 10.11.17, 11.4.1 to before 11.4.11, 11.8.1 to before 11.8.7, and 12.3.1, during the SST the donor node is interpolating parameters that the…
-
Medium 6.3
MariaDB: Argument injection in CONNECT REST Xcurl on Windows via unsanitized URL
MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. From versions 10.6.1 to before 10.6.26, 10.11.1 to before 10.11.17, 11.4.1 to before 11.4.11, 11.8.1 to before 11.8.7, and 12.3.1, MariaDB on WIndows with installed CONNECT engine and enabled REST …
-
High 7.2
IEI Integration Corp｜iVEC-IEI Virtualization Edge Computer - OS Command Injection
The iVEC-IEI Virtualization Edge Computer developed by IEI Integration Corp has a OS Command Injection vulnerability, allowing privileged remote attackers to inject arbitrary OS commands and execute them on the device.
-
Critical 9.8
ClipBucket: Remote Play URL Command Injection
ClipBucket v5 is an open source video sharing platform. Prior to version 5.5.3 - #140, ClipBucket's Remote Play feature allows any authenticated user to add a video by importing an external URL as the source. Some shell commands are run with the URL as a para…
-
High 8.7
Idira Privileged Session Manager for SSH (PSMP): Arbitrary Command Execution via Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command
Due to incomplete input validation in Idira Privileged Session Manager for SSH (PSMP) versions prior to 15.0.2, 14.6.3, 14.2.5, and 14.0.6, an authenticated, low-privileged user could potentially execute arbitrary commands on the PSMP host. CyberArk Security …
-
High 8.8
OpenClaw < 2026.5.18 - Arbitrary Code Execution via Unscanned Marketplace Runtime Extension Metadata
OpenClaw before 2026.5.18 contains a code execution vulnerability where marketplace runtime extension metadata can redirect loading toward unscanned package payloads. Attackers with trusted operator access can manipulate extension metadata to load plugin code…
-
High 7.3
KanaDojo < 0.1.18 Command Injection via patchNotesData.json in release.yml
KanaDojo contains a command injection vulnerability that allows an attacker with pull request access to execute arbitrary shell commands by inserting shell metacharacters into the version or changes fields of patchNotesData.json, which are interpolated unsani…
-
Critical 10.0
MariaDB server has unsafe parameter handling in `wsrep_notify_cmd`
MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. Versions 10.6.1 through 10.6.26, 10.11.1 through 10.11.17, 11.4.1 through 11.4.11, 11.8.1 through 11.8.7, and 12.3.1 with `wsrep_notify_cmd` enabled would execute shell commands embedded in the nam…
-
Medium 5.5
ImageMagick: Policy Bypass can read disallowed files
ImageMagick is free and open-source software used for editing and manipulating digital images. Prior to versions 6.9.13-48 and 7.1.2-24, an incorrect parsing of the filename can result in a policy bypass and read files disallowed by a security policy using a …
-
High 7.7
Dulwich Vulnerable to Command Injection via Merge Driver Path
Dulwich is a pure-Python implementation of the Git file formats and protocols. Starting in version 0.24.0 and prior to version 1.2.5, Dulwich's `ProcessMergeDriver` substitutes the file path (from the git tree, controllable by an attacker via a malicious bran…
-
Medium 5.7CVE-2026-0273 Public exploit
PAN-OS: Authenticated Admin Command Injection Vulnerability via CLI or Web UI
A command injection vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS® software enables an authenticated administrator to bypass system restrictions and run arbitrary commands as a root user. To be able to exploit this issue, the user must have access to the PAN-OS …
-
High 7.5
Snappy: Binary path is never shell-escaped due to an inverted is_executable check
Snappy is a PHP library allowing thumbnail, snapshot or PDF generation from a url or a html page. Prior to version 1.7.1, on POSIX, escapeshellarg(‘/usr/bin/wkhtmltopdf’) returns the literal string ‘/usr/bin/wkhtmltopdf’ with the single-quote characters inclu…