CVE-2026-76055 in blackduck-c-cpp
Summary
by MITRE • 08/24/2026
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command in the package manager component of Black Duck blackduck-c-cpp before 3.0.7 allows an actor able to create a file within the scanned build directory to execute operating system commands as the account running the scan.
Filesystem paths encountered while traversing the scanned directory are interpolated into command strings that are executed through a shell without quoting or escaping, so shell metacharacters within those paths are interpreted rather than treated as literal text. No control over the build command or the tool's configuration is required.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2026
The vulnerability identified in Black Duck blackduck-c-cpp versions prior to 3.0.7 represents a critical instance of Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command, commonly classified under CWE-78. This flaw resides within the package manager component responsible for scanning C and C++ source code repositories. The core technical deficiency involves the interpolation of filesystem paths into operating system command strings without adequate sanitization or escaping mechanisms. When the tool traverses a scanned build directory to analyze dependencies and components, it constructs shell commands using these dynamic file paths as arguments. Because the application fails to quote or escape special characters inherent in Unix-like shells, such as spaces, semicolons, pipes, ampersands, and backticks, any metacharacters present within the filenames are interpreted by the shell interpreter rather than being treated as literal text components of the path.
This architectural oversight creates a direct pathway for Operating System Command Injection attacks. An attacker who possesses the ability to create or modify files within the scanned build directory can inject malicious payloads directly into the command execution pipeline. By naming a file with embedded shell metacharacters, such as creating a file named test; rm -rf /, the actor ensures that when blackduck-c-cpp processes this path, the resulting system call executes not just the intended scanning operation but also the injected commands. This exploitation does not require any prior control over the build command configuration or administrative privileges on the host machine running the scan tool. The vulnerability is triggered purely by the presence of specially crafted filenames within the target directory structure during the automated analysis phase.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it allows for arbitrary code execution with the permissions of the user account under which the Black Duck scanner process is operating. In typical continuous integration and deployment environments or developer workstations, these scans often run with elevated privileges to access necessary build artifacts and system libraries. Consequently, successful exploitation grants an attacker full control over the underlying host system. This can lead to a complete compromise of the development environment, including theft of sensitive source code, exfiltration of credentials stored in configuration files, installation of persistent backdoors, or use of the compromised machine as a pivot point for further attacks against internal network resources. The lack of requirement for build command control makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in automated pipelines where file structures are generated dynamically by various tools and developers.
From an offensive security perspective, this flaw aligns with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Command and Scripting Interpreter abuse, specifically the execution of operating system commands through injection vectors found within application inputs. The attack vector is classified as local because it requires physical or logical access to write files into the scanned directory, but the impact extends far beyond that initial foothold due to the privilege level of the scanning process. Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate software updates and robust input validation practices. Organizations should upgrade blackduck-c-cpp to version 3.0.7 or later, where this interpolation issue has been resolved through proper escaping and quoting of all filesystem paths before they are passed to system shells. Additionally, defensive coding standards for any custom integrations involving shell execution must enforce strict whitelisting of allowed characters in file names and utilize safe API calls that do not invoke a command interpreter unless absolutely necessary. Regular auditing of build directory contents and restricting write permissions on scanned directories can also serve as effective compensating controls to reduce the attack surface until patches are applied.