CVE-2026-73751 in AOS-CX
Summary
by MITRE • 09/01/2026
An authenticated user with low-privileged access could submit crafted input through the web-based management interface to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2026
The vulnerability described represents a critical security flaw within the web-based management interface of the affected software, specifically classified as an OS Command Injection. This type of weakness allows an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary operating system commands through improperly sanitized input fields. The severity is compounded by the fact that authentication is required for exploitation, yet the privilege level needed is low. This indicates a failure in both input validation logic and role-based access control mechanisms within the application's backend processing routines. An authenticated user with minimal privileges can bypass expected operational boundaries to gain significant control over the underlying system infrastructure.
From a technical perspective, this flaw typically arises when developer code constructs operating system commands using unsanitized or insufficiently sanitized user-supplied data. When the web interface processes requests from low-privileged users, it fails to adequately filter special characters such as semicolons, ampersands, pipes, or backticks that are interpreted by the shell. Consequently, instead of treating the input strictly as a string parameter for a legitimate function, the application passes portions of this input directly to the command interpreter. This allows the attacker to terminate the intended command and append malicious commands that execute with the privileges of the web service process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, potentially leading to full system compromise depending on the execution context of the vulnerable application. If the web management interface runs under a privileged account or has access to sensitive administrative functions, an attacker can escalate their foothold from low-privileged user status to root or administrator level. This enables unauthorized data exfiltration, modification of critical system configurations, installation of persistent backdoors, and use of the compromised host as a pivot point for further attacks against other network segments. The ability to execute arbitrary commands effectively neutralizes any security controls that rely on process isolation or privilege separation within the application layer.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-78 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command, commonly known as OS Command Injection. In terms of offensive tactics, it maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically under subtechniques involving shell commands or system scripts. The exploitation path demonstrates a failure in input validation (CWE-20) combined with insufficient privilege separation, allowing low-level actors to perform high-level actions.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. Developers should implement strict allow-listing for all user inputs, ensuring that only expected characters are accepted while rejecting any special shell metacharacters by default rather than attempting to blacklist them. Where possible, the application logic should be refactored to use native API calls or library functions instead of invoking external command-line interpreters directly. If system commands must be executed, arguments should be passed as distinct array elements to prevent concatenation issues that lead to injection. Additionally, implementing robust role-based access control is essential; low-privileged users should not have any interface endpoints capable of triggering backend processes that interact with the operating system shell. Regular security code reviews and automated static analysis tools configured to detect command injection patterns can help identify similar flaws before deployment.