Description

Adobe Commerce is affected by an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction. Scope is changed.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "10.0",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-07T21:17:30.863Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-07T21:17:30.863Z",
  "executiveSummary": "Adobe Commerce is susceptible to an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine vulnerability. This flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution on the underlying host.\nThe vulnerability manifests due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data processed by the application's template engine. By injecting malicious directives or special elements, an attacker can manipulate the rendering process to execute system-level commands within the security context of the current user.\nThe impact is critical, as successful exploitation facilitates full system compromise, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network. Because the vulnerability involves a change in scope, the security boundaries between the template engine and the host environment are effectively bypassed.\nExploitation does not require user interaction, making it highly suitable for automated worm-like propagation or targeted exploitation campaigns. Organizations utilizing Adobe Commerce must prioritize the identification and remediation of this flaw to prevent unauthorized access and potential persistent system compromise.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of this vulnerability is improper sanitization of inputs processed by the Adobe Commerce template engine. Template injection occurs when untrusted data is concatenated into a template string or passed directly into the template engine's rendering context without adequate escaping or restriction of the expression language.\nThe attack flow begins when an attacker identifies an endpoint or input vector that submits data which is subsequently rendered by the application's template engine. By embedding syntax recognized by the template engine, the attacker can break out of the intended data sandbox and invoke native system functions or access sensitive application objects.\nSince the vulnerability results in arbitrary code execution, the malicious payload typically leverages the template engine's expression language to interface with underlying system binaries or the server-side language interpreter (e.g., PHP). Upon processing the crafted template, the application executes the injected instructions with the privileges of the web server process.\nThe exploitation process typically involves the following stages: 1. Identification of the vulnerable rendering interface where user input is treated as dynamic template content; 2. Crafting a payload that circumvents existing filters to trigger command execution primitives; 3. Delivery of the payload via HTTP request; 4. Execution of the arbitrary commands upon server-side rendering of the template.\nBecause the scope is changed, the vulnerability allows for the execution of code outside the application's intended functional boundaries, effectively transitioning the threat from a web-level application error to an OS-level security compromise. The persistence of the code execution is dependent on the application's configuration and the privileges assigned to the web service account.\nThe lack of required user interaction exacerbates the risk, allowing attackers to exploit the system asynchronously without needing to trick an administrator or user into performing an action. Post-exploitation, an attacker may deploy persistent webshells, exfiltrate the database containing customer and order information, or utilize the compromised node as a pivot point for further internal network reconnaissance."
}