CVE-2026-44725 EMQX: Stale plugins allow grants amplify a compromised admin/API key to remote code execution
An attacker with compromised admin credentials can exploit stale plugin grants to upload malicious code and achieve remote code execution on the EMQX broker.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-44725?
CVE-2026-44725 is a medium-severity code injection vulnerability in emqx, published on 20 Aug 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Official description
EMQX is a scalable and reliable MQTT broker for AI, IoT, IIoT, and connected vehicles. Prior to versions 5.8.11, 5.9.3, 5.10.4, 6.0.3, 6.1.2, and 6.2.1, the plugin-install REST API and dashboard upload accepted stale grants created with emqx ctl plugins allow because there was no five-minute grant lifetime or SHA-256 package binding. An attacker with a compromised dashboard administrator credential or API key with plugin-install permission who finds a stale allowed name and version can upload attacker-controlled bytes under the allowed .tar.gz filename through POST /api/v5/plugins/install or the dashboard plugin upload. The broker then installs and runs attacker-controlled Erlang code with the privileges of the EMQX process. This issue is fixed in versions 5.8.11, 5.9.3, 5.10.4, 6.0.3, 6.1.2, and 6.2.1.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-44725?
How do I fix CVE-2026-44725?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-44725 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-2026-44725 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-44725 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-cp9x-5qwc-fj6r.