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CVE-2026-40261· NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

Composer has Command Injection via Malicious Perforce Reference

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 36/100)

  • Public proof-of-concept code exists (GitHub); there is no record of exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.9% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 79.4% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: composer (Debian:12) 2.5.5-1+deb12u4; composer (Debian:13) 2.8.8-1+deb13u2; composer (Debian:14) 2.9.7-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to composer (Debian:12) 2.5.5-1+deb12u4; composer (Debian:13) 2.8.8-1+deb13u2; composer (Debian:14) 2.9.7-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Composer is a dependency manager for PHP. Versions 1.0 through 2.2.26 and 2.3 through 2.9.5 contain a command injection vulnerability in the Perforce::syncCodeBase() method, which appends the $sourceReference parameter to a shell command without proper escaping, and additionally in the Perforce::generateP4Command() method as in GHSA-wg36-wvj6-r67p / CVE-2026-40176, which interpolates user-supplied Perforce connection parameters (port, user, client) from the source url field without proper escaping. An attacker can inject arbitrary commands through crafted source reference or source url values containing shell metacharacters, even if Perforce is not installed. Unlike CVE-2026-40176, the source reference and url are provided as part of package metadata, meaning any compromised or malicious Composer repository can serve package metadata declaring perforce as a source type with malicious values. This vulnerability is exploitable when installing or updating dependencies from source, including the default behavior when installing dev-prefixed versions. This issue has been fixed in Composer 2.2.27 (2.2 LTS) and 2.9.6 (mainline). If developers are unable to immediately update, they can avoid installing dependencies from source by using --prefer-dist or the preferred-install: dist config setting, and only use trusted Composer repositories as a workaround.

HighCVSS 8.8 · v3.1—Proof of concept Fix available
Published
Apr 15, 2026
Updated
Jul 15, 2026
EPSS
1.9% · 79th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

36

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 1.9%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · GitHub_M
8.8
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Proof of concept exists, no weaponized module
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2026-40261

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
getcomposercomposer

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • getcomposer composer1.0.0 and later · up to 2.2.26 inclusive
  • getcomposer composer2.3.0 and later · up to 2.9.5 inclusive

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • composer composer

    • >= 2.3.0, < 2.9.6, >= 1.0.0, < 2.2.27affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12composerbefore 2.5.5-1+deb12u42.5.5-1+deb12u4
Debian:13composerbefore 2.8.8-1+deb13u22.8.8-1+deb13u2
Debian:14composerbefore 2.9.7-12.9.7-1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0php-composer2before 2.8.9-160000.4.12.8.9-160000.4.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedphp-composer2before 2.9.7-1.12.9.7-1.1
Packagistcomposer/composerfrom 1.0.0 · before 2.2.272.2.27
Packagistcomposer/composerfrom 2.3.0 · before 2.9.62.9.6
Red Hat:hummingbird:1composerbefore 0:2.9.7-1.hum10:2.9.7-1.hum1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Web and Scripting 15 SP7php-composer2before 2.6.4-150600.3.12.12.6.4-150600.3.12.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 16.0php-composer2before 2.8.9-160000.4.12.8.9-160000.4.1

Same product

getcomposer: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2021-41116Command injection in composer on Windows
    40Plan
  • CVE-2022-24828Missing input validation can lead to command execution in composer
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2021-29472Missing argument delimiter can lead to code execution via VCS repository URLs or source download URLs on systems with Mercurial in composer
    36Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2024-24821Feb 8, 2024 · Code execution and possible privilege escalation via compromised InstalledVersions.php or installed.php in Composer
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-67746Dec 30, 2025 · Composer vulnerable to ANSI sequence injection
    5Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-40176Apr 15, 2026 · Composer is vulnerable to Command Injection via Malicious Perforce Repository
    31Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:composer2.5.5-1+deb12u4 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:php-composer22.9.7-1.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
Packagist:composer/composer2.2.27Package registry (OSV)
Packagist:composer/composer2.9.6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:composer0:2.9.7-1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1Package registry (OSV)
suse:php-composer22.8.9-160000.4.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 16.0Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

Proof of concept available

A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.

Evidence

  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:22026-04-16

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Published
  2. First PoCsame day
  3. TodayOct 20, 2026+188 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-401760 days apartComposer is vulnerable to Command Injection via Malicious Perforce Repository
    31Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation

CVSS vector

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

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (5 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records