Authenticated code execution via stale plugin grants
Published Aug 20, 2026 · Updated Aug 20, 2026
Code execution in EMQX before 5.8.11, 5.9.3, 5.10.4, 6.0.3, 6.1.2, and 6.2.1 allows remote authenticated users to run broker code via plugin upload. The plugin-install REST API and dashboard upload accept stale emqx ctl plugins allow grants and verify only the approved name and version string, not the uploaded tarball bytes, so a different package with the same filename is installed. Exploitation requires a compromised Dashboard administrator session or an API key with plugin-install permission plus a lingering allow entry, and successful exploitation runs attacker-controlled Erlang code with the privileges of the EMQX process.
Summary
What happened
Code execution in EMQX before 5.8.11, 5.9.3, 5.10.4, 6.0.3, 6.1.2, and 6.2.1 allows remote authenticated users to run broker code via plugin upload. The plugin-install REST API and dashboard upload accept stale emqx ctl plugins allow grants and verify only the approved name and version string, not the uploaded tarball bytes, so a different package with the same filename is installed. Exploitation requires a compromised Dashboard administrator session or an API key with plugin-install permission plus a lingering allow entry, and successful exploitation runs attacker-controlled Erlang code with the privileges of the EMQX process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-44725
- Published
- Aug 20, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 20, 2026
- Vendor
- EMQ
- Product
- EMQX
- Classifications
- CWE-672, CWE-345, T1505
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 20, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 20, 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=>= 5.10.0, < 5.10.4
- Affected versionversion=< 5.8.11
- Affected versionversion=>= 5.9.0, < 5.9.3
- Affected versionversion=>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.3
- Affected versionversion=>= 6.1.0, < 6.1.2
- Affected versionversion=>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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