# CVE-2026-44190: Command injection in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2

> A command injection flaw in the Ansible Lightspeed VS Code extension allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted project.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 23 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6hm5-xxgq-f387

## What is CVE-2026-44190?

CVE-2026-44190 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, published on 22 Jul 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A flaw was found in the Ansible Lightspeed Visual Studio Code extension. This Command Injection vulnerability (CWE-78) allows a remote attacker to execute unauthorized commands on a user's system. The issue occurs because the `ansible.python.activationScript` setting, intended for a virtual environment activation script, does not properly validate user input as a file path. If a user opens or executes a specially crafted project, an attacker could exploit this to gain complete control over the user's system with the privileges of the Visual Studio Code application.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-44190?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-44190?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-44190 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-44190 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-44190 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-44190 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-44190 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, published on 22 Jul 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-44190 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2. 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-2026-44190/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44190/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-44190
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44190
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-44190

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44190/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.