CVE-2026-4802: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
A flaw was found in Cockpit. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to achieve arbitrary command execution on the host by exploiting unsanitized user-controlled parameters within crafted links in the system logs user interface (UI). An attacker can inject shell metacharacters and command substitutions into these parameters, leading to the execution of arbitrary shell commands on the affected system. This could result in a complete system compromise.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-4802) in Cockpit affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 and allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary command execution on the host by exploiting unsanitized user-controlled parameters in crafted links in the system logs UI. The flaw is due to improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands (CWE-78). An attacker can inject shell metacharacters and command substitutions, resulting in execution of arbitrary shell commands with the privileges of the Cockpit service user. Red Hat has issued an important security advisory (RHSA-2026:21390) providing updated Cockpit packages that address this issue.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to arbitrary command execution on the affected system, potentially resulting in complete system compromise. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.0 (High), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, and user interaction, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released official security updates for Cockpit in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 that fix this vulnerability. Users should apply the updated packages as described in the Red Hat advisory RHSA-2026:21390 and follow the instructions in https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258. No additional mitigation is required once the update is applied.
CVE-2026-4802: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Description
A flaw was found in Cockpit. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to achieve arbitrary command execution on the host by exploiting unsanitized user-controlled parameters within crafted links in the system logs user interface (UI). An attacker can inject shell metacharacters and command substitutions into these parameters, leading to the execution of arbitrary shell commands on the affected system. This could result in a complete system compromise.
CVSS v3.1
Score 8.0high
Affected software
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-4802) in Cockpit affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 and allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary command execution on the host by exploiting unsanitized user-controlled parameters in crafted links in the system logs UI. The flaw is due to improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands (CWE-78). An attacker can inject shell metacharacters and command substitutions, resulting in execution of arbitrary shell commands with the privileges of the Cockpit service user. Red Hat has issued an important security advisory (RHSA-2026:21390) providing updated Cockpit packages that address this issue.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to arbitrary command execution on the affected system, potentially resulting in complete system compromise. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.0 (High), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, and user interaction, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released official security updates for Cockpit in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 that fix this vulnerability. Users should apply the updated packages as described in the Red Hat advisory RHSA-2026:21390 and follow the instructions in https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258. No additional mitigation is required once the update is applied.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-03-25T10:34:38.394Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-4802","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 6a01db59cbff5d86101a01cd
Added to database: 05/11/2026, 13:36:25 UTC
Last enriched: 07/15/2026, 09:29:40 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:59 UTC
Views: 151
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