# CVE-2026-45408: Dokku: OS Command Injection via App Name in Git Pre-Receive Hook

> An authenticated user can execute arbitrary commands as the dokku user by pushing to a git remote with a crafted app name containing shell metacharacters.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 26 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9x85-7gxq-fcr3

## What is CVE-2026-45408?

CVE-2026-45408 is a critical command injection vulnerability in dokku, published on 26 Jun 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Dokku is a docker-powered PaaS. Prior to 0.38.2, the app name validation regex (^[a-z0-9][^/:_A-Z]*$) permits shell metacharacters. When an authenticated user pushes to a git remote with a crafted app name, the name is embedded unquoted into a bash pre-receive hook script via an unquoted heredoc (<<EOF instead of <<'EOF') in fn-git-create-hook() at plugins/git/internal-functions:378. On git push, bash interprets the semicolon as a command separator, executing arbitrary commands as the dokku user. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.38.2.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-45408?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Dokku Dokku.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-45408?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-45408 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-45408 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45408 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in dokku

- [CVE-2026-45405](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45405/): Dokku: Arbitrary File Write via Tar Symlink Traversal in git:from-archive and certs:add (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2026-45406](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45406/): Dokku: Host RCE via Maliciously Named OpenResty Include Files Injected Through eval (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2026-54636](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-54636/): Dokku: OS Command Injection via app.json managed Cron (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2026-45407](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45407/): Dokku: Git Credentials in .netrc Stored World-Readable Due to Premature touch (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-45408 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-45408 is a critical command injection vulnerability in dokku, published on 26 Jun 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45408 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: dokku. 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-2026-45408/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45408/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45408
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45408
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45408

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45408/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.