CVE-2026-28279: osctrl is an osquery management solution. Prior to version 0.5.0, an OS command injection vulnerability exists in the `osctrl-admin` environment confi...

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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

8.4/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.90%

55.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-78

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Jmpsec	Osctrl	< 0.5.0

References

https://github.com/jmpsec/osctrl/pull/777Issue Tracking, Patch
https://github.com/jmpsec/osctrl/pull/780Issue Tracking, Patch
https://github.com/jmpsec/osctrl/security/advisories/GHSA-rchw-322g-f7rmMitigation, Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Feb 26, 2026
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28279?

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.

How severe is CVE-2026-28279?

CVE-2026-28279 has a CVSS score of 8.4/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.90% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-28279?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.