Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain VS Administration credentials
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DeliveryAccess management API from adjacent network
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ExploitSend crafted request to aclcontrol endpoint
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ExecutionInject OS commands via unsanitized parameter
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PersistExecute arbitrary code on appliance
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ImpactEstablish persistence or pivot laterally
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Command injection prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique 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 | Requires authenticated access with specifically the 'VS Administration' permission level in Progress LoadMaster/ADC management interface, not just any administrative account. The CVSS vector indicates adjacent network access (AV:A), meaning the attacker must be on the same network segment as the management interface or have Layer 2/3 adjacency (not achievable from the public internet unless the management interface is exposed, which violates deployment best practices). Attack requires identifying the vulnerable 'aclcontrol' API endpoint and crafting input that bypasses any client-side validation while injecting shell metacharacters. Exploitation is limited to the specific product versions listed (7.2.45.0-7.2.62.x range varies by product). The Changed scope (S:C) and high CVSS impact ratings indicate successful exploitation breaks out of API process context to affect the underlying OS, but initial access still requires the high-privilege administrator role. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is moderate despite CVSS 8.4 due to significant exploitation barriers. CVSS vector (AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C) requires adjacent network access (not internet-reachable), high-privilege authenticated credentials with specific 'VS Administration' role, and the Changed scope indicates lateral movement potential once inside. SSVC framework assessment confirms: exploitation=none (no active exploitation), automatable=no (requires pre-existing admin credentials), technical impact=total (complete system compromise). This combination indicates the vulnerability is severe for insiders or after initial compromise but not a first-stage attack vector. The authentication requirement (PR:H) significantly reduces attacker pool compared to unauthenticated RCE. However, management interfaces are common targets for credential theft and lateral movement, making this valuable in multi-stage attacks against Progress ADC deployments. Patch availability in version 7.2.63.0 across all products suggests coordinated disclosure and vendor response. Organizations using these products should prioritize patching if management interfaces are accessible from corporate networks or if admin credential compromise is part of their threat model. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has compromised credentials for a Progress LoadMaster administrator account with 'VS Administration' permissions (obtained via phishing, credential reuse, or prior compromise of an admin workstation) connects to the appliance management API from an adjacent network segment. The attacker crafts a malicious API request to the 'aclcontrol' command containing shell metacharacters and injected OS commands (e.g., backticks, semicolons, pipe operators) in a parameter that the API passes unsanitized to the underlying shell. The LoadMaster executes the injected commands with the privileges of the API service process, granting the attacker arbitrary code execution on the appliance operating system, allowing installation of persistence mechanisms, data exfiltration, or pivoting to other network segments managed by the load balancer. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Apr 20, 2026
Command injection in Progress LoadMaster, ECS Connections Manager, Object Scale Connection Manager, and MOVEit WAF allows authenticated administrators with 'VS Administration' privileges to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the appliance via unsanitized input to the 'aclcontrol' API command. CVSS 8.4 reflects high-privilege requirement but scope change indicates container escape or cross-boundary impact. EPSS data not provided. No public exploit identified at time of analysis. Vendor-released patch: version 7.2.63.0 for all affected products per Progress advisory.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
Command injection in Progress LoadMaster and ADC products allows high-privileged authenticated attackers with 'VS Administration' permissions to execute arbitrary OS commands on the appliance via the 'aclcontrol' API endpoint. This affects LoadMaster, ECS Connections Manager, Object Scale Connection Manager, and MOVEit WAF products. The vulnerability is exploited through unsanitized input, enabling complete system compromise from the adjacent network (CVSS 8.4, AV:A). No active exploitation (KEV) or public POC identified at time of analysis. EPSS data not available. Progress Software has released an advisory with remediation guidance.
RemediationAI
Upgrade all affected Progress ADC products to version 7.2.63.0 or later per Progress advisory at https://community.progress.com/s/article/LoadMaster-Security-Vulnerabilites-CVE-2026-3517-CVE-2026-3518-CVE-2026-3519-CVE-2026-4048-CVE-2026-21876. If immediate patching is not feasible, implement network segmentation to restrict management interface access to dedicated administrative VLANs with strict firewall rules limiting adjacency to only authorized jump hosts or PAM solutions (note: this reduces but does not eliminate risk from compromised admin workstations). Review and minimize assignment of 'VS Administration' permissions using principle of least privilege-audit which accounts possess this role and whether it's necessary for their function. Enable detailed API command logging to detect suspicious 'aclcontrol' usage patterns. Consider placing management interfaces behind multi-factor authentication if not already deployed. These mitigations reduce attack surface but do not address the underlying injection vulnerability; patching to 7.2.63.0 remains the definitive remediation.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
This vulnerability exploits CWE-77 (OS Command Injection) in the API layer of Progress Application Delivery Controller (ADC) products. The 'aclcontrol' command in the management API fails to sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to underlying operating system shell commands. The affected products-LoadMaster (load balancer), ECS Connections Manager, Object Scale Connection Manager, and MOVEit WAF-share a common API framework based on version 7.2.x codebase. CPE strings identify these as distinct Progress Software products but with overlapping version ranges, suggesting shared vulnerable code in the ADC platform. The 'VS Administration' permission level indicates elevated administrative access to virtual server configuration, not standard user privileges. The CVSS scope change (S:C) suggests the vulnerability allows breaking out of the intended API/web management context to execute commands at the underlying OS level, potentially impacting other services or containers on the appliance.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionNVD
OS Command Injection Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in API in Progress ADC Products allows an authenticated attacker with “VS Administration” permissions to execute arbitrary commands on the LoadMaster appliance by exploiting unsanitized input in the 'aclcontrol' command
Executive ViewAI
Progress LoadMaster and ADC products contain a high-severity command injection vulnerability (CVSS 8.4) affecting administrative API endpoints that allows authenticated users with VS Administration permissions to execute arbitrary operating system commands and achieve complete system compromise. Organizations running LoadMaster, ECS Connections Manager, Object Scale Connection Manager, or MOVEit WAF must immediately restrict API access and implement network segmentation, as no vendor patch is currently available and the vulnerability requires only adjacent network access combined with valid administrative credentials.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: (1) Implement network-level access controls restricting the aclcontrol API endpoint to trusted administrative networks only; (2) Disable the aclcontrol API endpoint entirely if operational requirements permit; (3) Enforce multi-factor authentication for all accounts holding VS Administration role permissions; (4) Deploy API request logging and behavioral monitoring to detect anomalous command patterns; (5) Implement principle of least privilege to minimize accounts with VS Administration permissions; (6) Maintain regular backups and test recovery procedures to mitigate impact of command injection exploitation.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
OS command injection occurs when an application passes unsanitized user input directly into system shell commands.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
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EUVD-2026-23858
GHSA-g4q4-3mm2-2w69
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB