CVE-2026-94106 in getID3
Summary
by MITRE • 09/20/2026
getID3 before 1.9.26 contains an OS command injection vulnerability in shell-out handlers that fail to escape filenames in command strings. Attackers can craft malicious filenames containing shell metacharacters to inject arbitrary commands executed with the privileges of the process embedding getID3.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/20/2026
The identified vulnerability resides within the getID3 library, a widely used PHP tool for extracting metadata from various multimedia files, specifically affecting versions prior to 1.9.26. This security flaw is classified as an Operating System Command Injection, which corresponds to CWE-78 in the Common Weakness Enumeration taxonomy. The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the shell-out handlers embedded within the library's architecture. These handlers are designed to execute external system commands or binaries to process media files and extract their metadata properties. However, the implementation fails to properly sanitize or escape filenames before they are incorporated into command strings that are passed to the operating system's shell for execution.
When a user uploads a file with a maliciously crafted filename containing shell metacharacters such as semicolons, pipes, ampersands, or backticks, these characters can break out of the intended argument context and inject arbitrary commands into the command line string executed by the server process. This lack of input validation allows an attacker to manipulate the execution flow beyond the original intent of the metadata extraction routine. Because getID3 is typically invoked within web applications that handle user-uploaded content, this vulnerability can be triggered remotely if the application processes untrusted file uploads without adequate pre-processing or sanitization steps before passing them to the library.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to the context in which it executes. The injected commands are run with the same privileges as the process embedding getID3. In many common deployment scenarios, such as shared hosting environments or poorly configured web servers, this process may operate under a user account that has significant permissions on the server filesystem and network stack. Consequently, an attacker could potentially read sensitive configuration files, modify application code, exfiltrate database credentials stored in accessible locations, or use the compromised server as a pivot point for further attacks against internal networks. In worst-case scenarios where the web service runs with elevated privileges, full system compromise is possible.
This vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, specifically Command and Scripting Interpreter sub-techniques like T1059.004 (Unix Shell), as it involves leveraging shell capabilities to execute unauthorized commands. It also relates to CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, highlighting the failure to verify that user-supplied data conforms to expected formats before processing. To mitigate this risk, organizations must upgrade immediately to version 1.9.26 or later of getID3, where these sanitization issues have been addressed by developers through proper escaping mechanisms and safer execution methods such as using exec functions with array arguments instead of string concatenation for shell commands. Additionally, defensive measures should include implementing strict file naming policies on the application side, ensuring that uploaded files are renamed to random strings before being processed by getID3, thereby neutralizing any malicious intent embedded in original filenames. Regular security audits and static code analysis tools configured to detect command injection patterns can also help identify similar weaknesses in custom implementations of media processing libraries.