CVE-2026-114523 in Ffmpeg Image Toolkit
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2026
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ("OS Command Injection") vulnerability in Drupal Ffmpeg Image Toolkit allows OS Command Injection. This issue affects Ffmpeg Image Toolkit versions: from 0.0.0 to 1.0.3.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2026
The Drupal module known as Ffmpeg Image Toolkit, specifically within version ranges spanning from the initial release up through version 1.0.3, contains a critical security flaw classified under CWE-78, which denotes Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Operating System Command. This vulnerability manifests as an OS command injection weakness that arises when the module processes user-supplied input for multimedia file operations without adequate sanitization or validation mechanisms. The core technical failure lies in the direct concatenation of unsanitized data into shell commands executed by the underlying operating system, allowing attackers to manipulate the intended command structure and inject arbitrary instructions.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability exploits the lack of proper escaping or quoting when passing arguments to external programs such as ffmpeg via PHP functions like exec(), system(), or passthru(). When an attacker provides specially crafted input parameters for image processing tasks, these inputs are interpreted not merely as data but as executable commands by the shell. This misinterpretation enables the injection of additional command-line flags or separate commands that execute with the privileges of the web server process. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it bypasses application-level security controls and interacts directly with the host operating system's command interpreter, creating a direct path for remote code execution if the environment permits such operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, potentially leading to complete compromise of the affected Drupal site and its hosting infrastructure. An authenticated attacker or an unauthenticated user, depending on the specific configuration and access controls of the module, can execute arbitrary system commands. This capability allows for data exfiltration, modification of critical files, installation of backdoors, or pivoting to other systems within the network. In worst-case scenarios, where the web server runs with elevated privileges, an attacker could gain full control over the underlying operating system, leading to a total breach of confidentiality, integrity, and availability for all services hosted on that machine.
This vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, specifically sub-technique 008 which covers Command and Scripting Interpreter abuse, as well as T1203 regarding Exploitation for Client Execution if the injection leads to downloading malicious payloads. It also relates to CWE-77, Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command, highlighting the fundamental failure in input handling practices within the module's codebase during versions prior to 1.0.4. The absence of robust parameter validation and safe API usage patterns for shell execution constitutes the primary root cause of this security defect.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required by upgrading the Ffmpeg Image Toolkit module to version 1.0.4 or later, where these input sanitization issues have been addressed. Administrators should verify that all instances of external command execution utilize safe alternatives such as shell_exec with strict argument validation, escapeshellarg(), or preferably native PHP libraries that do not rely on the system shell for processing multimedia files. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls can provide a layer of detection and blocking for known injection patterns, though this is only a compensatory control rather than a fix. Regular security audits focusing on input handling in modules interacting with external processes are essential to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced or remaining undetected in future updates.