CVE-2026-11526
Description
A flaw was found in perl-GD. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability by providing specially crafted filenames to functions that open files. This issue arises because the _make_filehandle function uses Perl's 2-argument open() with untrusted input, allowing special characters like pipes or redirects to be interpreted as commands or file operations. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary command execution or unauthorized file modification under the privileges of the affected process.
Statement
This Critical vulnerability in perl-GD enables arbitrary command execution or file overwrites when applications process untrusted input as filenames for image constructors. Exploitation occurs if an application passes a specially crafted filename containing pipe or redirect characters, allowing an attacker to execute commands or modify files with the privileges of the affected process. This poses a significant risk to system integrity and confidentiality in environments where perl-GD is used to handle external, unsanitized file paths.
Mitigation
Exploitation of CGI scripts using perl-GD is made difficult with the use of `SecRuleEngine On` from the `mod_security` RPM. See https://access.redhat.com/solutions/6961459 for details on installing `mod_security` on RHEL.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 9.8 | N/A | 9.8 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Availability,Non-Repudiation
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories; Read Application Data; Modify Application Data; Hide Activities
Attackers could execute unauthorized operating system commands, which could then be used to disable the product, or read and modify data for which the attacker does not have permissions to access directly. Since the targeted application is directly executing the commands instead of the attacker, any malicious activities may appear to come from the application or the application's owner.
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