Description

IBM API Connect 10.0.8.0 through 10.0.8.12 and 12.1.0.0 through 12.1.1.2 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code due to improper neutralization of special elements in an OS command.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "9.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-11-07T05:18:57.917Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-11-07T05:18:57.917Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A critical OS command injection vulnerability exists in IBM API Connect, stemming from improper neutralization of special elements within system commands.\nThe vulnerability allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary OS-level commands on the underlying host, potentially leading to a full system compromise.\nAffected products include IBM API Connect versions 10.0.8.0 through 10.0.8.12 and 12.1.0.0 through 12.1.1.2.\nThis vulnerability poses a severe risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as unauthorized command execution grants an attacker the ability to manipulate data, install malicious persistent payloads, or pivot further into the internal network infrastructure.\nSuccessful exploitation requires no prior authentication, significantly increasing the risk profile for Internet-facing or accessible API management instances.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and sanitization within IBM API Connect when processing user-supplied data that is subsequently passed to system-level calls. The application fails to neutralize special characters effectively, allowing an attacker to escape the intended command context and inject additional, unauthorized OS commands.\nThis flaw manifests as an OS command injection vulnerability, where the application interfaces with the host operating system's shell or command execution environment. By supplying crafted payloads containing command separators (such as ';', '&', '|', or backticks), an attacker can terminate the legitimate command execution and append arbitrary malicious instructions.\nThe attack flow begins with the attacker identifying an input vector—such as a request parameter, header, or API request field—that the application fails to treat as untrusted. Upon delivering a malicious payload to this vector, the input is processed by the vulnerable component. Because the application does not utilize secure API calls (such as parameterization or library-level subprocess isolation) to execute system-level operations, the payload is parsed and interpreted directly by the system shell.\nExploitation occurs when the vulnerable component executes the injected command with the privileges of the service account running the IBM API Connect process. Depending on the environment configuration, this often grants the attacker significant control over the host operating system. Post-exploitation activities may include, but are not limited to, the retrieval of sensitive configuration files, extraction of administrative credentials, lateral movement within the network, or the deployment of backdoors for persistent, long-term unauthorized access.\nAffected versions are strictly defined as 10.0.8.0 through 10.0.8.12 and 12.1.0.0 through 12.1.1.2. The vulnerability does not require authentication, meaning the attack surface is exposed to any network entity capable of interacting with the API Connect management interfaces or gateways susceptible to the injection vector. The lack of privilege requirements makes this a high-severity remote code execution (RCE) primitive."
}