# CVE-2023-50260: Wazuh's vulnerability in host_deny AR script allows arbitrary command execution

> Attackers can inject commands into the hosts.deny file via the host_deny script, leading to arbitrary code execution and privilege escalation on Wazuh servers and agents.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 19 Apr 2024
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mjq2-xf8g-68vw

## What is CVE-2023-50260?

CVE-2023-50260 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Wazuh Wazuh, published on 19 Apr 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Wazuh is a free and open source platform used for threat prevention, detection, and response. A wrong validation in the `host_deny` script allows to write any string in the `hosts.deny` file, which can end in an arbitrary command execution on the target system. This vulnerability is part of the active response feature, which can automatically triggers actions in response to alerts. By default, active responses are limited to a set of pre defined executables. This is enforced by only allowing executables stored under `/var/ossec/active-response/bin` to be run as an active response. However, the `/var/ossec/active-response/bin/host_deny` can be exploited. `host_deny` is used to add IP address to the `/etc/hosts.deny` file to block incoming connections on a service level by using TCP wrappers. Attacker can inject arbitrary command into the `/etc/hosts.deny` file and execute arbitrary command by using the spawn directive. The active response can be triggered by writing events either to the local `execd` queue on server or to the `ar` queue which forwards the events to agents. So, it can leads to LPE on server as root and RCE on agent as root. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.7.2.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-50260?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Wazuh Wazuh.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-50260?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-50260 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-50260 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-50260 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Wazuh Wazuh

- [CVE-2025-24016](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-24016/): Wazuh Server Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-32038](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-32038/): Wazuh Analysis Engine Event Decoder Heap-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-44079](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-44079/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-1243](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-1243/): Remote code execution and local privilege escalation in Wazuh Windows agent via NetNTLMv2 hash theft (critical 9.5)
- [CVE-2026-61800](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-61800/): Wazuh cluster worker file sync allows arbitrary file write under /var/ossec (incomplete fix for CVE-2026-30893) (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-50260 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-50260 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Wazuh Wazuh, published on 19 Apr 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-50260 exists.

Affected product: Wazuh Wazuh. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50260/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50260/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-50260
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-50260
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-50260

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50260/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.