# CVE-2026-43893: exiftool-vendored: Argument injection via newline characters in tag names

> Attackers can inject arguments via newlines in tag names, allowing ExifTool to read or write arbitrary files accessible to the process.

- **Severity:** High 8.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 11 May 2026
- **Updated:** 12 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cw26-7653-2rp5

## What is CVE-2026-43893?

CVE-2026-43893 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in photostructure exiftool-vendored.js, published on 11 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

exiftool-vendored provides cross-platform Node.js access to ExifTool. Prior to 35.19.0, exiftool-vendored starts ExifTool in -stay_open True -@ - mode, where arguments are read from stdin one per line. In affected versions, several caller-supplied strings were interpolated into ExifTool arguments without rejecting line delimiters. A newline or carriage return inside one of those strings could split a single intended argument into multiple ExifTool arguments, allowing argument injection. The fix also rejects NUL bytes as unsafe control characters. Applications that pass attacker-controlled strings to affected APIs may allow an attacker to make ExifTool read files accessible to the ExifTool process, or write output to attacker-chosen file system paths accessible to that process. No remote code execution has been demonstrated. This vulnerability is fixed in 35.19.0.

Weakness: CWE-88 (Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43893?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including exiftool-vendored.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `exiftool-vendored` | npm | All versions | 35.19.0 |
| `exiftool-vendored` | npm | All versions | 35.19.0 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-43893?

Upgrade exiftool-vendored to 35.19.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-43893 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43893 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2026-43893 (github_poc): https://github.com/Dobby153/CVE-2026-43893

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-43893 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-43893 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in photostructure exiftool-vendored.js, published on 11 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43893 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- exiftool-vendored (npm): affected all versions; fixed in 35.19.0
- exiftool-vendored (npm): affected all versions; fixed in 35.19.0

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-2026-43893/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43893/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43893
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43893
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-43893

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43893/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.