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OS Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-78

CVE-2026-14852

MEDIUM · 5.2 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-07-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
54/100
Remediation priority · Moderate
Zero-click 5 weeks old

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
Privilege escalation in Checkmk versions 2.5.0 before 2.5.0p9, 2.4.0 before 2.4.0p34, 2.3.0 before 2.3.0p49, and 2.2.0 (EOL) allows a local unprivileged user to execute arbitrary commands as root by starting a process crafted to look like a SAP HANA instance. Without an explicit database configuration, the mk_sap_hana agent plugin derives instance identifiers from the process list and uses them to build a command executed with elevated privileges (requires the plugin to run as root with RUNAS=agent).

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

The mk_sap_hana monitoring plugin in Checkmk runs as root and builds commands using instance identifiers derived from the system process list. A local unprivileged user can craft a process to impersonate SAP HANA, causing the plugin to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges when it parses and acts on this deceptive process information.

MitigationUpgrade Checkmk to version 2.5.0p9, 2.4.0p34, or 2.3.0p49 or later. As a compensating control, restrict local unprivileged access and review plugin permissions until patching is complete.

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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. Confirm Checkmk installation and version
    Identify the installed Checkmk version by querying the package manager, checking the Checkmk web interface footer, or running 'cmk --version' if the command-line tool is available. Compare the version number against the fixed releases (2.5.0p9, 2.4.0p34, 2.3.0p49).
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 2.3.0p49, 2.4.0p34, or 2.5.0p9.
  2. Locate the mk_sap_hana plugin
    Search for the mk_sap_hana plugin file in the Checkmk installation directory, typically under the plugins or agents directory structure. Use commands like 'find /opt/checkmk -name mk_sap_hana*' to locate the plugin.
    Affected if The mk_sap_hana plugin file exists in the Checkmk installation.
  3. Verify plugin execution context
    Check the ownership and permissions of the mk_sap_hana plugin file. Determine if the plugin executes as root by examining the file permissions and the user context under which Checkmk monitoring runs.
    Affected if The plugin runs with root privileges or elevated permissions.
  4. Confirm SAP HANA monitoring is configured
    Inspect the Checkmk configuration for any active SAP HANA service definitions or host labels that would trigger the mk_sap_hana plugin execution. Check the Checkmk web interface or configuration files for SAP HANA monitoring rules.
    Affected if SAP HANA monitoring rules or services are defined and enabled in Checkmk.
  5. Assess local user process creation capability
    Evaluate whether unprivileged local users have the ability to create or modify processes on the system. This is typically true by default on Linux systems but can be verified through process creation restrictions or sandboxing configurations.
    Affected if Unprivileged users can create arbitrary processes on the system.

A user is affected if they run a Checkmk version below the fixed releases, have the mk_sap_hana plugin present with root execution privileges, have SAP HANA monitoring enabled, and unprivileged local users can create processes on the system.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Checkmk to version 2.5.0p9, 2.4.0p34, or 2.3.0p49 or later. As a compensating control, restrict local unprivileged access and review plugin permissions until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the latest patch release in your current branch (2.5.0p9+, 2.4.0p34+, or 2.3.0p49+) or migrate to a currently supported branch

  1. Identify the current Checkmk version by checking the installation
  2. If running Checkmk 2.5.0, upgrade to version 2.5.0p9 or later (preferably the latest 2.5.x patch)
  3. If running Checkmk 2.4.0, upgrade to version 2.4.0p34 or later (preferably the latest 2.4.x patch)
  4. If running Checkmk 2.3.0, upgrade to version 2.3.0p49 or later (preferably the latest 2.3.x patch)
  5. If running Checkmk 2.2.0 (EOL), migrate to a supported version branch (2.3.0p49+, 2.4.0p34+, or 2.5.0p9+)
  6. After upgrade, explicitly configure the SAP HANA database connection in the mk_sap_hana plugin configuration rather than relying on process-derived instance identifiers
  7. Verify the RUNAS=agent configuration is properly scoped to minimize privilege exposure
Caveat Standard Checkmk patch upgrades typically maintain configuration compatibility; however, review release notes for any behavioral changes when upgrading across minor versions

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
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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-2026-14852 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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