CVE-2026-28228 OpenOLAT: Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) in Velocity templates allows Remote Code Execution
Authenticated authors can inject Velocity directives into email templates to execute arbitrary OS commands via Java reflection, requiring immediate patching.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-28228?
CVE-2026-28228 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in OpenOLAT, published on 30 Mar 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
OpenOlat is an open source web-based e-learning platform for teaching, learning, assessment and communication. Prior to versions 19.1.31, 20.1.18, and 20.2.5, an authenticated user with the Author role can inject Velocity directives into a reminder email template. When the reminder is processed (either triggered manually or via the daily cron job), the injected directives are evaluated server-side. By chaining Velocity's #set directive with Java reflection, an attacker can instantiate arbitrary Java classes such as java.lang.ProcessBuilder and execute operating system commands with the privileges of the Tomcat process (typically root in containerized deployments). This issue has been patched in versions 19.1.31, 20.1.18, and 20.2.5.
Weakness: CWE-1336
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-28228?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Frentix Openolat.
How do I fix CVE-2026-28228?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-28228 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.
Is CVE-2026-28228 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-28228 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in OpenOLAT
- CVE-2026-31946 OpenOLAT: Authentication bypass via forged JWT in OIDC implicit flow
- CVE-2021-39181 Unsafe Deserialization of User Data Using XStream
- CVE-2021-41242 Path Traversal in some REST methods leading to file upload to arbitrary places
- CVE-2021-39180 Path Traversal in Archive Handling Leading to Code Execution
- CVE-2021-41152 Path Traversal in Folder Component Leading to Local File Inclusion
Sources
Also known as GHSA-55qg-vvgj-ffh4.