Unauthenticated command execution via shared JWT secret
Published Jan 13, 2026 · Updated Jan 13, 2026
Remote code execution in Covenant 0.1.3 through 0.5 allows remote attackers to run commands by forging administrative JWTs. An accidentally committed development settings file fixed the HS256 signing secret to the same value across deployments, so the server accepts attacker-signed tokens. A token bearing the Administrator role authorizes protected API requests, including custom profile and DLL upload, which executes code with the Covenant server process's privileges.
Summary
What happened
Remote code execution in Covenant 0.1.3 through 0.5 allows remote attackers to run commands by forging administrative JWTs. An accidentally committed development settings file fixed the HS256 signing secret to the same value across deployments, so the server accepts attacker-signed tokens. A token bearing the Administrator role authorizes protected API requests, including custom profile and DLL upload, which executes code with the Covenant server process's privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2020-36911
- Published
- Jan 13, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 13, 2026
- Vendor
- Cobbr
- Product
- Covenant
- Classifications
- CWE-798, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 13, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0.1.3 <=0.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Covenant C2 JWT Remote Code Execution Exploitfunctional · demonstrated
- Covenant v0.5 Remote Code Executionfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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