What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-35581?

CVE-2026-35581 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.1%.

Which versions of Emissary are affected by CVE-2026-35581?

CVE-2026-35581 affects NSA Emissary P2P workflow engine versions before 8.39.0, allowing authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems through improper input…. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-35581?

Within 24 hours: Identify all systems running NSA Emissary P2P versions prior to 8.39.0 using asset inventory or network scanning. Within 7 days: Upgrade to version 8.39.0 or later on all identified systems; coordinate downtime windows with business owners. Within 30 days: Audit access logs for administrator accounts with unusual command execution patterns; review privileged access policies to restrict PLACE_NAME configuration modifications.

Emissary CVE-2026-35581

EUVD-2026-19730 HIGH

OS Command Injection (CWE-78)

2026-04-07 GitHub_M

GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v

Command Injection Emissary

7.2

CVSS 3.1 · GitHub Advisory

Severity by source

GitHub Advisory PRIMARY

7.2 HIGH

AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from GitHub Advisory · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

High

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Re-analysis Queued

Apr 16, 2026 - 18:07 vuln.today

cvss_changed

Patch released

Apr 08, 2026 - 02:30 nvd

Patch available

EUVD ID Assigned

Apr 07, 2026 - 16:30 euvd

EUVD-2026-19730

Analysis Generated

Apr 07, 2026 - 16:30 vuln.today

CVE Published

Apr 07, 2026 - 15:56 nvd

HIGH 7.2

DescriptionGitHub Advisory

Emissary is a P2P based data-driven workflow engine. Prior to 8.39.0, the Executrix utility class constructed shell commands by concatenating configuration-derived values - including the PLACE_NAME parameter - with insufficient sanitization. Only spaces were replaced with underscores, allowing shell metacharacters (;, |, $, `, (, ), etc.) to pass through into /bin/sh -c command execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.39.0.

AnalysisAI

Command injection in NSA Emissary P2P workflow engine (versions prior to 8.39.0) allows authenticated remote administrators to execute arbitrary shell commands through unsanitized PLACE_NAME parameter values. The Executrix utility class passes configuration-derived values directly to /bin/sh -c with only space-to-underscore sanitization, enabling shell metacharacters (semicolons, pipes, backticks) to trigger command execution. CVSS 7.2 (High) reflects network accessibility with low attack complexity, though exploitation requires high-privilege administrator credentials (PR:H). No public exploit code identified at time of analysis, with EPSS data unavailable for this recent CVE. Vendor-released patch available in version 8.39.0 per GitHub security advisory.

Technical ContextAI

Emissary is the National Security Agency's open-source P2P data-driven workflow engine. The vulnerability resides in the Executrix utility class, which constructs shell commands through string concatenation using configuration parameters including PLACE_NAME. The affected component implements CWE-78 (OS Command Injection) by passing inadequately sanitized input to /bin/sh -c execution context. Only whitespace characters undergo transformation (spaces replaced with underscores), allowing dangerous shell metacharacters like semicolons (command chaining), pipes (command redirection), dollar signs (variable expansion), backticks (command substitution), and parentheses (subshell execution) to remain intact. The CPE identifier cpe:2.3:a:nationalsecurityagency:emissary:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* confirms this affects the NSA's Emissary product line. Configuration-derived execution paths create persistent injection vectors since PLACE_NAME values typically originate from system configuration files that administrators control.

RemediationAI

Upgrade NSA Emissary to version 8.39.0 or later, which implements proper input sanitization for the PLACE_NAME parameter and other configuration-derived values passed to shell execution contexts. The vendor-released patch addresses the root cause by replacing dangerous string concatenation with parameterized command construction or comprehensive sanitization that neutralizes shell metacharacters beyond just spaces. Organizations should obtain the patched version from the official NSA GitHub repository and follow standard change management procedures for workflow engine updates. Review existing PLACE_NAME configuration values for any evidence of malicious metacharacter injection that may indicate prior exploitation attempts. If immediate patching is not feasible, implement compensating controls including strict validation of all Emissary configuration parameters, enhanced monitoring of administrative account activity within Emissary systems, and restriction of administrative access to trusted networks only. Consult the official security advisory at https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/emissary/security/advisories/GHSA-6c37-7w4p-jg9v for additional vendor-specific remediation guidance and implementation notes.