Description
pfSense CE through 2.9.0 contains an OS command injection vulnerability in the OpenVPN openvpn.connect_async.sh script that allows authenticated VPN users to execute commands as root via crafted usernames. Attackers authenticated through RADIUS or LDAP can use usernames containing single quotes and shell metacharacters to break out of the eval'd pfctl anchor name on connect or disconnect.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netgate | pfSense CE | ≤ 2.9.0 | — |
Advisories 1
- WID-SEC-2026-3983 Netgate pfSense: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Oct 15, 2026
References
- https://github.com/abraxas/pfsense-ovpn-connect-eval exploit technical-description
- https://abraxaslabs.tech/research/pfsense-ce-leftovers technical-description
- https://github.com/pfsense/pfsense/blob/9363ac5b8651a1c7a333180425ce7719070f95f9/src/usr/local/sbin/openvpn.connect_async.sh#L83-L114 technical-description
- VulnCheck Advisory: Netgate pfSense CE through 2.9.0 OS Command Injection via openvpn.connect_async.sh third-party-advisory