CVE-2026-26068
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 · uneditedemp3r0r is a stealth-focused C2 designed by Linux users for Linux environments. Prior to 3.21.1, untrusted agent metadata (Transport, Hostname) is accepted during check-in and later interpolated into tmux shell command strings executed via /bin/sh -c. This enables command injection and remote code execution on the operator host. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.21.1.
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 confidenceIn emp3r0r C2 versions prior to 3.21.1, untrusted agent metadata (Transport and Hostname fields) sent during agent check-in is directly interpolated into tmux shell command strings executed via /bin/sh -c without sanitization. This allows a malicious or compromised agent to inject arbitrary shell commands that execute with the privileges of the C2 operator's session, achieving remote code execution on the operator host.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 3.21.1CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm emp3r0r C2 is installedLocate the emp3r0r binary or check for its installation directory (commonly /root/emp3r0r or in the user's home directory). Look for files named 'emp3r0r', 'emp3r0r.sh', or configuration files containing 'emp3r0r'.Affected if emp3r0r is present on the system
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Identify emp3r0r versionRun 'emp3r0r --version' or check the binary file version metadata. Alternatively, review the source code or release notes if manually installed from source.Affected if Version is lower than 3.21.1
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Check if tmux mode is enabledReview emp3r0r configuration files for tmux-related settings. Look for tmux session configuration, 'use_tmux', or similar options that control how agent sessions are handled.Affected if tmux integration is enabled in the configuration
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Verify agent check-in metadata handlingIf possible, examine the emp3r0r server logs or source code for the agent check-in handler. Specifically, check how the Transport and Hostname metadata fields are processed before being used in shell command execution.Affected if Server accepts agent metadata without sanitization and uses it in shell command construction
The environment is affected if emp3r0r version is below 3.21.1 AND tmux mode is enabled, allowing agent-supplied metadata to be interpolated into shell commands executed on the C2 operator's machine.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped3.21.1
Upgrade emp3r0r to version 3.21.1 or later, which implements proper input validation/sanitization on agent metadata before shell interpolation.
3.21.1
- Upgrade Emp3r0r to version 3.21.1 or later by pulling the latest release from the official repository
- Verify the installed version is 3.21.1 or higher using the appropriate version check command for emp3r0r
- Test that the emp3r0r C2 server functions correctly after upgrade, particularly the check-in process and tmux session handling
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-26068 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-26068 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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