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CVE-2026-28207

MediumCVSS 6.6 / 10
Published Feb 26, 2026·Last modified Apr 10, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

Zen C is a systems programming language that compiles to human-readable GNU C/C11. Prior to version 0.4.2, a command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) in the Zen C compiler allows local attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands by providing a specially crafted output filename via the -o command-line argument. The vulnerability existed in the main application logic (specifically in src/main.c), where the compiler constructed a shell command string to invoke the backend C compiler. This command string was built by concatenating various arguments, including the user-controlled output filename, and was subsequently executed using the system() function. Because system() invokes a shell to parse and execute the command, shell metacharacters within the output filename were interpreted by the shell, leading to arbitrary command execution. An attacker who can influence the command-line arguments passed to the zc compiler (like through a build script or a CI/CD pipeline configuration) can execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the user running the compiler. The vulnerability has been fixed in version 0.4.2 by removing system() calls, implementing ArgList, and internal argument handling. Users are advised to update to Zen C version v0.4.2 or later.

Risk Scores
Base Score
6.6

The vulnerability requires local access to the device to be exploited. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. The attacker needs the user to perform some action, like clicking a link. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a low impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a high impact on the integrity of the data. There is a low impact on the availability of the system.

Threat Intelligence
6.1

Exploitation attempts have been detected. Elevated vigilance and prompt remediation are advised.

EPSS
0.94%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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