CVE-2026-12540
HIGH 8.2A flaw was found in Foreman. A command injection vulnerability exists in the foreman-rake errors:fetch_log task. The request_id parameter is passed to an underlying system command (typically grep) without adequate shell neutralization. While the task is intended to fetch specific log entries, an attacker with sudo permissions to execute this rake task can inject shell metacharacters (such as ;, ", or |) to break out of the intended command and execute arbitrary code.
Severe if exploited (CVSS 8.2), but no known exploitation and low modeled probability. Patch on a normal cadence.
Exploitation likelihood
1.2%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 68th percentile
Impact if exploited
8.2CVSS 3.1 · HIGH
- ConfidentialityHigh
- IntegrityHigh
- AvailabilityHigh
What an attacker needs
- ⚠Access: Requires local access to the host
- ⚠Privileges: Requires an admin / high-privilege account
- ✓User interaction: No user interaction needed
- ✓Complexity: No special conditions — reliably repeatable
✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it
Proof of concept & exploit code
- github-search Search GitHub for public PoC repos
Test against your own equipment
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-12540/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).Listed for defensive triage, patch verification, and authorized testing on systems you own. Machine-readable: /cve/CVE-2026-12540/poc.json
Affected
Vendors Red Hat Redhat Theforeman
Products Red Hat Satellite 6.16 For Rhel 8 Red Hat Satellite 6.16 For Rhel 9 Red Hat Satellite 6.17 For Rhel 9 Red Hat Satellite 6.18 For Rhel 9 Red Hat Satellite 6.19 For Rhel 9 Red Hat Satellite 6 Satellite Enterprise Linux Foreman
Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Known Affected Software Configurations
| Vendor | Product | Version range |
|---|---|---|
| Redhat | Satellite | ≥ 6.16 and < 6.16.4 |
| Redhat | Satellite | ≥ 6.17 and < 6.17.12 |
| Redhat | Satellite | ≥ 6.19 and < 6.19.5 |
| Theforeman | Foreman | * |
| Redhat | Satellite | ≥ 6.18 and < 6.18.10 |
| Redhat | Satellite | 6.0 |
All CVSS metrics
- HIGH 8.2 v3.1 · CNA Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - HIGH 8.2 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
Patches & mitigations
Advisories
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:74503
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:74504
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:74505
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:74506
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-12540
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/07/9