CVE-2026-111226: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') in Netgate pfSense CE
Description
pfSense CE versions 2.4.5 through 2.9.0 have an OS command injection vulnerability in the WebGUI Login Protection settings. Authenticated users with Advanced Admin Access can inject commands as root by submitting specially crafted values containing newlines or command substitution syntax. This vulnerability allows execution of arbitrary commands with root privileges.
CVSS v4.0
Score 8.6high
Affected software
Netgate
pfSense CE
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-111226 is an OS command injection vulnerability affecting Netgate pfSense CE versions 2.4.5 through 2.9.0. Authenticated users with Advanced Admin Access can exploit this flaw via the Login Protection settings by submitting sshguard threshold, block time, or detection time values containing newline characters or $(...) command substitution. These values are written without validation to sshguard.conf and sourced as root upon service restart, enabling arbitrary command execution with root privileges.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an authenticated user with Advanced Admin Access to execute arbitrary commands as root on the pfSense CE system. This can lead to full system compromise, unauthorized control, and potential disruption of network security functions.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, restrict Advanced Admin Access to trusted users only and avoid modifying Login Protection settings with untrusted input.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- VulnCheck
- Date Reserved
- 2026-10-15T18:21:22.260Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6ad123be2cdf04f65652b747
Added to database: 10/15/2026, 19:04:30 UTC
Last enriched: 10/15/2026, 19:18:32 UTC
Last updated: 10/15/2026, 19:19:21 UTC
Views: 9
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