Emissary has a Command Injection via PLACE_NAME Configuration in Executrix
Priority LOW 34CWE-78Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-78.
Summary
Emissary is a P2P based data-driven workflow engine. Prior to 8.39.0, the Executrix utility class constructed shell commands by concatenating configuration-derived values — including the PLACE_NAME parameter — with insufficient sanitization. Only spaces were replaced with underscores, allowing shell metacharacters (;, |, $, `, (, ), etc.) to pass through into /bin/sh -c command execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.39.0.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00585 48th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix Fixed emissary (NationalSecurityAgency): 8.39.0gov.nsa.emissary:emissary (Maven): 8.39.0
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NationalSecurityAgency | emissary | before 8.39.0 | 8.39.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | gov.nsa.emissary:emissary (Maven) | before 8.39.0 | 8.39.0 | Patch available | GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v |
- emissary VendorNationalSecurityAgency Affected before 8.39.0 Fixed in 8.39.0 Patch available CNA
- gov.nsa.emissary:emissary (Maven) Vendor— Affected before 8.39.0 Fixed in 8.39.0 Patch available GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:nsa:emissary:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | up to 8.38.0 | Vulnerable | NationalSecurityAgency |
- cpe:2.3:a:nsa:emissary:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions up to 8.38.0 Vulnerable ·NationalSecurityAgency
Remediation
- Fix · CNA emissary (NationalSecurityAgency) Fixed in 8.39.0
- Fix · GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v gov.nsa.emissary:emissary (Maven) Fixed in 8.39.0 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-35581
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v
- 2026-10-25 EPSS moved to the below the 50th percentile
- 2026-11-04 1 new reference · GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v
References
More NationalSecurityAgency Emissary vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-27685 Emissary has an OS Command Injection via Unvalidated IN_FILE_ENDING / OUT_FILE_ENDING in Executrix CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-12315 Post-authentication Remote Code Execution (RCE) in emissary:emissary CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2021-12307 Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in emissary:emissary CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.9
- TI-2026-27683 Emissary has GitHub Actions Shell Injection via Workflow Inputs CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2021-12047 U.S. CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-12049 The ConsoleAction component of U.S. CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-35581 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-35581 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences