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CherryTree EUVDEUVD-2026-112493

| CVE-2026-118692 HIGH
OS Command Injection (CWE-78)
2026-10-28 VulnCheck GHSA-3v3v-qqf5-5rqr
7.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Craft malicious CherryTree document with booby-trapped link
  2. Delivery
    Deliver document to targeted victim
  3. Exploit
    Victim clicks embedded web link
  4. Execution
    Shell metacharacters pass unquoted to std::system
  5. Impact
    Execute arbitrary commands as victim

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization OS command sanitization, avoid shell exec
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the non-default 'Custom Web Link Clicked Action' option to be enabled in CherryTree (<=1.7.2); with the default configuration the vulnerable std::system path is not reached. The attacker must get the victim to open an attacker-crafted document and then click a web link whose URL contains unquoted shell metacharacters ($(...), backticks, or semicolons). Limiting factors: the non-default option must be enabled (AT:P), the attack requires active victim interaction (clicking the link, UI:A), the vector is local (the victim must open a crafted document, AV:L), and commands run only with the victim's own privileges. These conditions make exploitation targeted and social-engineering-dependent rather than remote or automatic.

Impact

This is a moderate, condition-gated risk rather than a drop-everything emergency. The supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H) shows full compromise of the victim's host (code execution as the user) but behind three real brakes: the vector is local (AV:L), a specific attack requirement must hold (AT:P - the non-default 'Custom Web Link Clicked Action' option must be enabled), and active user interaction is needed (UI:A - the victim must click the crafted link). PR:N means the attacker needs no privileges on the target. The vuln.today decision label is 'this_week', consistent with code execution potential but not with mass exploitation. No KEV listing, no EPSS score, and no confirmed public exploit were provided in the input, so there is no signal of active or widespread exploitation; the realistic threat is targeted social-engineering (getting a victim who has enabled the non-default option to open a malicious document). Note the input supplies only a CVSS 4.0 vector - no CVSS 3.1 vector - and no EPSS/KEV data, so exploitation-probability signals are absent rather than low. Overall: a genuine code-execution flaw whose real-world risk is substantially limited by the required non-default configuration plus user interaction.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker crafts a CherryTree document containing a web link whose URL embeds shell metacharacters such as $(...), backticks, or a semicolon. The attacker delivers the document to a victim who has enabled the non-default Custom Web Link Clicked Action option; when the victim opens the document and clicks the link, the unquoted URL is passed to std::system and the attacker's commands run as the victim. No public exploit was identified in the provided data, but the source code references (ct_actions_others.cc and ct_misc_utils.cc) pinpoint the vulnerable call path.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 28, 2026

OS command injection in CherryTree through 1.7.2 lets an attacker run arbitrary commands with the victim's privileges when the victim opens a crafted document and clicks a web link containing unquoted shell metacharacters such as $(...), backticks, or semicolons. The vulnerable path is only reached when the non-default 'Custom Web Link Clicked Action' option is enabled and the link is handed to std::system via CtActions::link_clicked; with the default configuration that code path is not taken. Exploitation is therefore condition-gated and depends on victim interaction rather than remote or automatic attack, and no public exploit was identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch is identified in the available data; the upstream issue at https://github.com/giuspen/cherrytree/issues/2945 and the repository at https://github.com/giuspen/cherrytree should be monitored for a fix, and upgrading to the first release that contains it is the complete remedy. Until then, the most effective control is simply to leave the Custom Web Link Clicked Action option disabled (the default), which removes the vulnerable code path entirely at the cost of losing that customisation feature. Because exploitation requires opening a crafted document, treat CherryTree files from external or untrusted sources as suspect, inspect embedded links for $(...), backticks, or semicolons before clicking, and run CherryTree under an unprivileged account so that any injected command inherits only limited rights. These measures reduce likelihood and impact but do not remove the underlying unquoted std::system call.

Affected VersionsENISA

cherrytree 0 ≤1.7.2

Affected Packages

euvd cherrytree no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

CherryTree is a hierarchical note-taking application (giuspen/cherrytree) written in C++, and the flaw is a classic OS command injection (CWE-78). The two reference points in the upstream source, ct_actions_others.cc lines 381-388 and ct_misc_utils.cc lines 227-247, show the web-link click handler handing the link text to a helper that ultimately invokes std::system; because the URL string is interpolated into the shell command without quoting or escaping, shell metacharacters are interpreted by the shell instead of being treated as literal URL content. The affected CPE (cpe:2.3:a:giuspen:cherrytree:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) covers all released versions up to and including 1.7.2. The assessed vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R) reflects the practical constraints: the crafted document arrives as a local file the victim must open, the non-default Custom Web Link Clicked Action must have been enabled, and a click on the malicious link is required; the exact mechanics beyond the unquoted std::system call are not further described in the available sources. Resulting commands execute only with the victim's own user rights, so impact scales with that account's privileges.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.0 HIGH

Local document-based delivery (AV:L); AC:H and UI:R because a non-default option must be enabled and the victim must click the malicious link; PR:N as the attacker needs no privileges; full code execution as the user gives C/I/A:H.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Active
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

CherryTree through 1.7.2 contains an OS command injection vulnerability in CtActions::link_clicked that allows attackers to execute commands by embedding shell metacharacters in web link URLs. When the non-default Custom Web Link Clicked Action option is enabled, attackers can supply crafted documents whose links pass $(...), backticks, or semicolons unquoted to std::system, running commands as the victim on click.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity vulnerability in CherryTree (up to version 1.7.2) could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands with the victim's privileges if a user opens a crafted document and clicks a malicious web link, but only when a non-default setting ('Custom Web Link Clicked Action') is enabled. Since the default configuration is not exploitable, organizational risk is concentrated among users who have customized this option, and any compromise would require user interaction and specific preconditions, making widespread impact unlikely but still a concern for those with the vulnerable configuration.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: disable the 'Custom Web Link Clicked Action' option in CherryTree settings; restrict use of CherryTree to trusted documents and sources; implement application allowlisting to prevent execution of arbitrary commands; and monitor for suspicious process creation events.

Threat Intelligence Overview

Prevalence
Low
niche cross-platform desktop note-taking app, limited production footprint
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS N/A
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
Medium

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

OS command injection occurs when an application passes unsanitized user input directly into system shell commands.

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