Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
cli-mcp-server 0.2.5 may let an unauthenticated remote attacker run commands that administrators intended to block. The flaw becomes relevant when shell operators are enabled. Successful abuse could compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the host running the service.
Executive priority
Treat confirmed 0.2.5 deployments with shell operators enabled as urgent, especially when remotely accessible. Immediately reduce reachability and privileges, then obtain vendor remediation guidance. Instances without the prerequisite configuration are lower priority but should still be inventoried and verified.
Technical view
The command validator does not adequately account for shell substitution when ALLOW_SHELL_OPERATORS is enabled. Consequently, a command accepted under ALLOWED_COMMANDS may cause the shell to execute an embedded, non-allowlisted command. This is classified as OS command injection (CWE-78) and scored CVSS 4.0 9.2.
Likely exposure
Exposure requires cli-mcp-server 0.2.5 with ALLOW_SHELL_OPERATORS enabled and attacker-controlled command requests reaching the service. Internet-accessible or broadly reachable instances are the primary concern. The bundle's affected-version metadata is inconsistent, so versions other than 0.2.5 cannot be confirmed here.
Exploitation context
The supplied record describes a remotely reachable, unauthenticated path with high complexity and a prerequisite condition. Successful exploitation could fully affect the host. The CVE is not listed as KEV, and the supplied sources provide no evidence of active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The core boundary failure is validation before shell interpretation: allowlist approval does not cover commands subsequently introduced through substitution. Assessment should focus on configuration, request reachability, execution identity, and downstream shell behavior. No corrected version, vendor patch, public exploitation, or broader affected-version range is established by the supplied evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Disable ALLOW_SHELL_OPERATORS where operationally possible.
- Restrict network access to trusted systems and authenticated users.
- Run the service with minimal operating-system privileges.
- Review vendor guidance for a corrected release or approved remediation.
- Avoid relying solely on ALLOWED_COMMANDS while shell operators remain enabled.
Validation and detection
- Inventory every cli-mcp-server deployment and record its exact version.
- Confirm whether ALLOW_SHELL_OPERATORS is enabled in each deployment.
- Identify which users and networks can submit command requests.
- Review service and host logs for unexpected child processes or command execution.
- Verify remediation using benign negative tests in an isolated environment.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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-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.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-85660 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.2 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe 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.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.25.9VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
9.2CriticalVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.1HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- GitHub Issue #17CVE reference, VulnCheck · issue-tracking
- https://github.com/MladenSU/cli-mcp-serverCVE reference, VulnCheck · product
- https://github.com/MladenSU/cli-mcp-server/blob/main/src/cli_mcp_server/server.pyCVE reference, VulnCheck · technical-description
- VulnCheck Advisory: cli-mcp-server 0.2.5 Command Allowlist Bypass via Shell SubstitutionCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
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.