CVE-2026-85656 - OS command injection in Amazon log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch
Description
CVE-2026-85656 is an OS command injection vulnerability in the Amazon log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch tool for Amazon Linux. This tool injects a Java agent into running JVM processes to patch the Log4j CVE-2021-44228 vulnerability without restarting the process. The flaw allows a local user to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges if the Java process executable path contains embedded newline characters. Versions up to and including 1.3-8.amzn2 are affected. The issue is fixed in version 1.3-9.amzn2.
Affected software
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability CVE-2026-85656 exists in the log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch package used on Amazon Linux. This package injects a Java agent to patch the Log4j remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228) at runtime. However, an OS command injection flaw was discovered that could allow a local attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges by exploiting Java processes whose executable paths include embedded newline characters. The affected versions are all versions up to 1.3-8.amzn2 inclusive. The vendor has released version 1.3-9.amzn2 to address this vulnerability.
Potential Impact
A local user on the affected system could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary OS commands with root privileges. This elevates the risk of full system compromise. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of executable paths containing newline characters in the Java process, leading to command injection. This impacts the security of systems using the log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch tool prior to version 1.3-9.amzn2.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available in log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch version 1.3-9.amzn2. Users should upgrade to this version to remediate the vulnerability. Alternatively, running 'yum update log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch' or 'yum update --advisory ALAS2-2026-3784' will apply the necessary patches. It is also recommended to ensure any forked or derivative code incorporates these fixes.
Technical Details
- Classification
- {"confidence":0.95,"severitySource":"heuristic","classifier":"rss-v2"}
- Article Source
- {"url":"https://aws.amazon.com/security/security-bulletins/rss/2026-098-aws/","fetched":true,"fetchedAt":"2026-09-04T17:48:03.711Z","wordCount":178}
Threat ID: 6a9b0453acd9273b49fbf3c8
Added to database: 09/04/2026, 17:48:03 UTC
Last enriched: 09/07/2026, 11:06:06 UTC
Last updated: 10/18/2026, 06:48:20 UTC
Views: 153
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