CVE-2026-66902: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vjmh-7f4c-cx88
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-66902 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when 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.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-66902 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-66902
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vjmh-7f4c-cx88
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-66902

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-66902, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where 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. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Google::Auth versions before 0.06 for Perl run a command named in an external_account credentials JSON via an ungated system call. The Pluggable subclass reads credential_source.executable.command from the credentials JSON and runs it as `system($command)`, a single argument call that passes the whole string to /bin/sh -c. The executable's environment_variables map from the same JSON is copied into %ENV first. No opt-in gate guards the call. make_creds selects the Pluggable subclass whenever credential_source.executable is present, so the path is reached from the standard Application Default Credentials flow, including a "type": "external_account" configuration read from the file named by GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS. Configurations without credential_source.executable do not select this subclass and do not reach the call. Any caller that builds credentials from a configuration it does not fully control runs the embedded command with the privileges of the application process.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-66902 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-66902
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/google-auth-library-perl/commit/c95c77e70bec94f17e239d88050f843ea1cade95.patch
metacpan.org/release/cjcollier/g... WEB
https://metacpan.org/release/CJCOLLIER/Google-Auth-0.06/diff/CJCOLLIER/Google-Auth-0.05
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/04/35

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-66902?
CVE-2026-66902 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-66902?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-66902?
CVE-2026-66902 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-66902?
CVE-2026-66902 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (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.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-66902?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-vjmh-7f4c-cx88",
  "modified" : "2026-08-05T21:31:35Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-04T21:30:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-66902" ],
  "details" : "Google::Auth versions before 0.06 for Perl run a command named in an external_account credentials JSON via an ungated system call.\n\nThe Pluggable subclass reads credential_source.executable.command from the credentials JSON and runs it as `system($command)`, a single argument call that passes the whole string to /bin/sh -c. The executable's environment_variables map from the same JSON is copied into %ENV first. No opt-in gate guards the call. make_creds selects the Pluggable subclass whenever credential_source.executable is present, so the path is reached from the standard Application Default Credentials flow, including a \"type\": \"external_account\" configuration read from the file named by GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS. Configurations without credential_source.executable do not select this subclass and do not reach the call.\n\nAny caller that builds credentials from a configuration it does not fully control runs the embedded command with the privileges of the application process.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-66902"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/google-auth-library-perl/commit/c95c77e70bec94f17e239d88050f843ea1cade95.patch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://metacpan.org/release/CJCOLLIER/Google-Auth-0.06/diff/CJCOLLIER/Google-Auth-0.05"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/04/35"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-04T21:16:37Z"
  }
}