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CVE Record

CVE-2026-28279: `osctrl-admin` Vulnerable to OS Command Injection via Environment Configuration

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.

HighCVSS 7.4Not KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2026-28279 affects osctrl-admin before 0.5.0. A logged-in osctrl administrator can place shell commands in an environment hostname value. Those commands are then included in endpoint enrollment scripts and can run on enrolling machines with root or SYSTEM privileges. The main business risk is broad endpoint compromise from a malicious or compromised admin account.

Executive priority

Treat as high priority if your organization runs osctrl before 0.5.0. The attack requires admin access, but successful abuse can compromise many endpoints during enrollment with elevated privileges. Prioritize upgrade, admin access review, and inspection of existing environment configurations.

Technical view

The issue is CWE-78 OS command injection in osctrl-admin environment configuration. Go text/template-generated enrollment one-liners did not shell-escape the hostname parameter. An authenticated administrator creating or editing environments could cause arbitrary commands to execute when endpoints enroll using that environment. Affected versions are jmpsec osctrl before 0.5.0; the advisory says it is fixed in v0.5.0.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to organizations running osctrl before 0.5.0, especially where multiple administrators can manage environments or admin accounts may be compromised. Impact expands when endpoints enroll or re-enroll using a tampered environment. Systems not using osctrl, or already on 0.5.0 or later, are not indicated as affected by the provided sources.

Exploitation context

The vulnerability requires authenticated administrator access, high privileges, and user interaction through endpoint enrollment. The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Because commands run before osquery installation and may lack agent-level audit trail, compromise could be difficult to reconstruct after enrollment.

Researcher notes

Evidence is from the CVE record and GitHub advisory. The root issue is unescaped shell content in generated enrollment one-liners. Pull requests 777 and 780 are referenced as related fixes. No exploit code, in-the-wild exploitation, or additional affected products are identified in the provided source bundle.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade osctrl to version 0.5.0 or later.
  • Restrict osctrl administrator access to trusted personnel only.
  • Review existing environment hostnames for suspicious shell metacharacters or unexpected content.
  • Monitor generated enrollment scripts for unexpected commands.
  • Follow the GitHub advisory and project pull requests for implementation details.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory osctrl deployments and confirm installed version is below or at least 0.5.0.
  • List users with osctrl administrator access and validate business need.
  • Inspect environment hostname fields for suspicious or malformed values.
  • Review enrollment scripts generated from each environment for unexpected command content.
  • Check endpoint enrollment timing against any suspicious environment changes.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
5

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · medium confidence lookup

CWE-78: Command execution behavior lookup

Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

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description · low confidence lookup

Execution behavior lookup

The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
description · low confidence lookup

Credential and access behavior lookup

The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-28279 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.4 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.4CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H0.76Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.4High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2026-28279Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
jmpsecosctrl< 0.5.0Listed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-78 · source CWE mapping

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.