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OS Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-78

CVE-2025-27364

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-24
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In MITRE Caldera through 4.2.0 and 5.0.0 before 35bc06e, a Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability was found in the dynamic agent (implant) compilation functionality of the server. This allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on the server that Caldera is running on via a crafted web request to the Caldera server API used for compiling and downloading of Caldera's Sandcat or Manx agent (implants). This web request can use the gcc -extldflags linker flag with sub-commands.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

MITRE Caldera versions through 4.2.0 and 5.0.0 (before commit 35bc06e) contain an RCE vulnerability in the dynamic agent compilation functionality. Attackers can send crafted web requests to the API endpoint used for compiling Sandcat or Manx implants, injecting arbitrary commands via the gcc -extldflags linker flag. This allows complete server compromise without authentication.

MitigationRestrict or disable the dynamic agent compilation feature if not required; implement strict input validation on the agent compilation API to sanitize/white-list gcc linker flags; apply the vendor patch (commit 35bc06e) immediately.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Caldera is running
    Check for running Caldera processes (e.g., 'ps aux | grep caldera' or 'docker ps' if containerized) and confirm the service is accessible on its configured port (typically 8888 or 443)
    Affected if Caldera server is actively running and accessible on the network
  2. Determine installed Caldera version
    Check the Caldera web UI version display (usually in the login page footer or /api/config endpoint), or inspect the version file in the installation directory (e.g., 'cat /opt/caldera/version' or look for version.py)
    Affected if Version is 4.2.0 or earlier, OR version is 5.0.0 (any subversion), indicating the patch commit 35bc06e has not been applied
  3. Verify dynamic agent compilation is enabled
    Check Caldera configuration files (conf/local.yml, local.yaml, or settings.py) for plugin configurations related to Sandcat or Manx agents, and confirm the 'compile' or 'dynamic_compile' options are set to true
    Affected if Dynamic agent compilation feature is enabled in the Caldera configuration
  4. Confirm API endpoint accessibility
    Attempt a GET request to the Sandcat/Manx compilation endpoints (typically /api/sandcat/compile or /api/v2/plugins/sandcat/compile) using curl or similar tool, check for HTTP 200 response indicating the endpoint is reachable
    Affected if The agent compilation API endpoints are accessible without authentication

You are affected if Caldera versions 4.2.0 or earlier, or version 5.0.0, are running with the dynamic agent compilation feature enabled and the compilation API endpoints are accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Restrict or disable the dynamic agent compilation feature if not required; implement strict input validation on the agent compilation API to sanitize/white-list gcc linker flags; apply the vendor patch (commit 35bc06e) immediately.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

MITRE Caldera 5.0.0 or later release containing commit 35bc06e

  1. 1. Identify the currently running Caldera version by checking the installation or git repository
  2. 2. Pull the latest changes from the official MITRE Caldera GitHub repository
  3. 3. If running a version before the fix (prior to commit 35bc06e), upgrade to a release version that includes the fix
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade by checking that the dynamic agent compilation functionality no longer allows arbitrary gcc -extldflags manipulation
  5. 5. Test that Sandcat and Manx agent compilation still functions correctly after the update
  6. 6. Review and monitor API access controls to limit who can access the agent compilation endpoints
Caveat Review release notes for any breaking changes between current version and target upgrade version; test agent deployment in staging before production deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the patch applied

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-27364 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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