JabRef up to 6.0-alpha.5 HTTP Server /better-bibtex/cayw CAYWQueryParams.getCommand command os command injection

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in JabRef up to 6.0-alpha.5. It has been rated as problematic. This vulnerability affects the function CAYWQueryParams.getCommand of the file /better-bibtex/cayw of the component HTTP Server. The manipulation of the argument command leads to os command injection. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-53534. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists. Upgrading the affected component is advised.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in JabRef up to 6.0-alpha.5. It has been rated as problematic. This issue affects the function CAYWQueryParams.getCommand of the file /better-bibtex/cayw of the component HTTP Server. The manipulation of the argument command with an unknown input leads to a os command injection vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-78. The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component. Impacted is integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

JabRef is a desktop application for managing BibTeX and BibLaTeX libraries. Prior to 6.0-alpha.6, when jabsrv or JabRef's built-in HTTP server is enabled, the GET /better-bibtex/cayw endpoint accepts an external command query parameter and CAYWQueryParams.getCommand() passes it through CAYWResource.getCitation() into PushToSublimeText.getCommandLine(). On Unix-like systems, PushToSublimeText combines this untrusted cite-command prefix and citation keys into a string executed through sh -c by ProcessBuilder without shell escaping. A client that can cause a localhost request with application=sublime can inject shell metacharacters and execute operating-system commands as the JabRef user when a valid Sublime Text command path is configured and the victim completes the CAYW selection dialog. The built-in server is disabled by default, so exploitation requires the victim to enable it or run jabsrv. This issue is fixed in version 6.0-alpha.6.

It is possible to read the advisory at github.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-53534 since 06/09/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. It demands that the victim is doing some kind of user interaction. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1202 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

Upgrading to version 6.0-alpha.6 eliminates this vulnerability.

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Productinfo

Name

• JabRef

Version

• 6.0-alpha.0
• 6.0-alpha.1
• 6.0-alpha.2
• 6.0-alpha.3
• 6.0-alpha.4
• 6.0-alpha.5

Website

• Product: https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/

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