CVE-2026-28279: `osctrl-admin` Vulnerable to OS Command Injection via Environment Configuration

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-28279 is a high (CVSS 8.4) vulnerability in jmpsec osctrl. EPSS estimates a 0.97% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 61.8% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 26-02-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 27-02-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

osctrl is an osquery management solution. Prior to version 0.5.0, an OS command injection vulnerability exists in the `osctrl-admin` environment configuration. An authenticated administrator can inject arbitrary shell commands via the hostname parameter when creating or editing environments. These commands are embedded into enrollment one-liner scripts generated using Go's `text/template` package (which does not perform shell escaping) and execute on every endpoint that enrolls using the compromised environment. An attacker with administrator access can achieve remote code execution on every endpoint that enrolls using the compromised environment. Commands execute as root/SYSTEM (the privilege level used for osquery enrollment) before osquery is installed, leaving no agent-level audit trail. This enables backdoor installation, credential exfiltration, and full endpoint compromise. This is fixed in osctrl `v0.5.0`. As a workaround, restrict osctrl administrator access to trusted personnel, review existing environment configurations for suspicious hostnames, and/or monitor enrollment scripts for unexpected commands.

• CWE-78Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS CommandThe product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command before it is sent to a downstream component.