# CVE-2026-116786: FreeSWITCH: Channel-variable injection via SIP REFER leads to command execution in mod_sofia


- **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
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Nov 2026
- **Updated:** 9 Nov 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xjxm-9qx6-w3fj

## What is CVE-2026-116786?

CVE-2026-116786 is a high-severity vulnerability in signalwire freeswitch, published on 5 Nov 2026. 

### Official description

FreeSWITCH is a Software Defined Telecom Stack enabling the digital transformation from proprietary telecom switches to a software implementation that runs on any commodity hardware. Prior to 1.11.2, sofia_handle_sip_i_refer() placed raw Refer-To URI parameters and headers inside a sip_invite_params channel-variable block passed to switch_ivr_originate(). The originate parser treated a comma in the attacker-controlled value as a variable separator, allowing an authenticated caller on a bridged call to inject arbitrary variables into a newly originated leg. An injected execute_on_originate value could invoke the system dialplan application before answer and execute operating-system commands with the FreeSWITCH process privileges. SIP REFER is enabled by default, and the sender needs only a registered account and a call that takes the off-box transfer path, not administrative or Event Socket access. This issue is fixed in version 1.11.2.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code), CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-116786?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Freeswitch.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-116786?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-116786 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-116786 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-116786 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in signalwire freeswitch

- [CVE-2026-116779](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-116779/): SignalWire FreeSwitch Code Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-49841](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-49841/): FreeSWITCH: Pre-authentication heap buffer overflow in `mod_verto` HTTP POST body read (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-19492](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19492/): FreeSWITCH 1.6.10 through 1.10.1 has a default password in event_socket.conf.xml. (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-116785](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-116785/): FreeSWITCH: Pre-authentication heap out-of-bounds write in mod_xml_rpc WebSocket frame length handling (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2026-116790](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-116790/): FreeSWITCH: Inbound ICE connectivity checks are accepted without verifying STUN MESSAGE-INTEGRITY (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-116786 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-116786 is a high-severity vulnerability in signalwire freeswitch, published on 5 Nov 2026. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-116786 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: signalwire freeswitch. 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-2026-116786/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-116786/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-116786
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-116786
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-116786

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-116786/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.