CVE-2026-53932 in laravel-backup-restore
Summary
by MITRE • 09/04/2026
laravel-backup-restore restores database backups made with spatie/laravel-backup. Prior to version 1.9.4, a crafted backup archive can trigger OS command injection during database restore. This issue has been patched in version 1.9.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2026
The vulnerability identified in the laravel-backup-restore package prior to version 1.9.4 represents a critical server-side security flaw classified as an Operating System Command Injection, commonly referenced under CWE-78. This specific weakness arises from the improper neutralization of special elements used in operating system commands, allowing an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary shell commands on the host system. The root cause lies in how the application processes input data derived from backup archives created by spatie/laravel-backup without adequate sanitization or validation before passing these inputs to underlying system utilities for database restoration operations.
During the restore process, the package interacts with external command-line tools such as mysql, psql, or other database-specific clients to import SQL dumps into the target database environment. In vulnerable versions of laravel-backup-restore, filenames within the backup archive or specific metadata extracted from these archives are concatenated directly into shell commands without proper escaping. An attacker who can influence the contents of a backup file, either by creating a maliciously crafted archive or exploiting an existing trust relationship with backup sources, can inject special characters like semicolons, pipes, or ampersands to break out of the intended command context. This allows for the execution of arbitrary operating system commands with the privileges of the web server process running the Laravel application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and potentially catastrophic. Successful exploitation enables remote code execution on the underlying infrastructure hosting the Laravel application. Attackers can use this access to exfiltrate sensitive data, modify or delete critical files, pivot further into internal networks, or establish persistent backdoors for long-term unauthorized access. Since database restoration often requires elevated privileges to write to system directories and execute administrative commands, the blast radius of a successful exploit is significant. This aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, where adversaries use native operating system utilities to perform actions that facilitate lateral movement or data theft.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate software updates as the primary defense vector. Organizations utilizing laravel-backup-restore should upgrade to version 1.9.4 or later, which contains patches designed to properly sanitize and validate inputs before they are passed to operating system commands. In addition to updating dependencies, developers should implement strict input validation policies for any data derived from external sources, including backup files. Employing allowlists for expected file names and ensuring that database credentials do not contain special characters can further reduce the attack surface. Furthermore, running application processes with least-privilege principles limits the potential damage if a command injection attempt succeeds by restricting access to sensitive system resources and directories.