---
title: "Ivanti Sentry CVE-2026-10520: Pre-Auth Root RCE"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/briefs/ivanti-sentry-cve-2026-10520-command-injection/
description: "Unauthenticated OS command injection gives root on Ivanti Sentry; backdoors seen after a public PoC. Fixed in R10.5.2, R10.6.2, R10.7.1. Verify and hunt."
type: security-brief
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2026-06-09
date_modified: 2026-10-23
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
verdict: "Check exposure"
cves: ["CVE-2026-10520", "CVE-2026-10523"]
severity: "critical"
exploited: "in-the-wild"
kev: true
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# Ivanti Sentry CVE-2026-10520: Pre-Auth Root RCE

**Verdict: Check exposure.** Fixed since June 2026, and exploited within two days of a public PoC. Confirm every Sentry runs R10.5.2, R10.6.2, R10.7.1 or later and that port 8443 is not internet-facing. Treat any appliance that was exposed and unpatched as compromised.

- **Who must act:** Organizations running Ivanti Sentry before R10.5.2, R10.6.2 or R10.7.1, above all any appliance whose management interface (port 8443) was reachable from the internet or that sat in an unmanaged state.
- **Who can relax:** Sentry appliances managed by EPMM (APIs behind mTLS) or by Neurons for MDM, whose management port was never exposed. Ivanti says they are far harder to reach, but they still need the update.
- **Affected:** Ivanti Sentry 10.5.1 and earlier; Ivanti Sentry 10.6.1 and earlier; Ivanti Sentry 10.7.0 and earlier
- **Fixed:** Ivanti Sentry R10.5.2; Ivanti Sentry R10.6.2; Ivanti Sentry R10.7.1
- **CVEs:** CVE-2026-10520, CVE-2026-10523
- **CISA KEV:** yes · **Exploitation:** Exploited in the wild

## What to do

1. List every Sentry appliance, its version, and whether EPMM or Neurons for MDM manages it.
2. Upgrade to R10.5.2, R10.6.2 or R10.7.1 (or later) on the matching release line.
3. Block internet access to the Sentry management port 8443 and the /mics/ API; allow only admin networks and the managing EPMM or Neurons service.
4. Before patching any appliance that was exposed, preserve logs and, where possible, a disk and memory image, following CISA's BOD 26-04 triage guidance.
5. If exploitation is suspected, rebuild the appliance from a fixed image rather than cleaning it, and rotate its admin accounts, certificates and backend credentials.

### How to check if you are affected

- Search proxy, load balancer and firewall logs for POST requests to /mics/api/v2/sentry/mics-config/handleMessage, especially from outside the admin network.
- Look for request bodies beginning 'execute system /configuration/system/commandexec' (the public PoC format).
- Review Sentry administrator accounts for any nobody created; CVE-2026-10523 lets attackers add admins.
- Check Shadowserver's free reports for your IP space, which flagged backdoored Sentry hosts in June 2026.

## What happened

On June 9, 2026, Ivanti fixed two flaws in Sentry, its in-line gateway for mobile device traffic (formerly MobileIron Sentry). [CVE-2026-10520](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-10520) is an OS command injection that lets a remote, unauthenticated attacker run commands as root, and Ivanti scores it CVSS 3.1 10.0. [CVE-2026-10523](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-10523), scored 9.9, is an authentication bypass that lets an attacker create administrator accounts. At release, Ivanti said it was "not aware of any customers being exploited," per [Rapid7](https://rapid7.com/blog/post/etr-cve-2026-10520-cve-2026-10523-multiple-critical-vulnerabilities-affecting-ivanti-sentry).

A day later, [watchTowr](https://labs.watchtowr.com/more-evidence-that-words-dont-mean-what-we-thought-they-meant-ivanti-sentry-pre-auth-os-command-injection-cve-2026-10520/) diffed the patch and published a proof-of-concept exploit. The bug is in `POST /mics/api/v2/sentry/mics-config/handleMessage`, whose `message` parameter reached a system command. The fix swaps attacker input for a hardcoded harmless command. [Help Net Security](https://helpnetsecurity.com/2026/06/10/ivanti-sentry-cve-2026-10520-cve-2026-10523/) relayed Shadowserver's findings: many exploit attempts based on the public PoC, and at least two of 19 vulnerable instances it could see already backdoored. CISA added CVE-2026-10520 to [KEV](https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-10520) on June 11 with a three-day deadline. [BleepingComputer](https://bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-gives-feds-3-days-to-patch-ivanti-flaw-exploited-in-attacks) reports it was the first KEV entry handled under the new BOD 26-04.

## Who is affected

Sentry 10.5.1, 10.6.1, 10.7.0 and earlier releases on each line are affected. The fixes are R10.5.2, R10.6.2 and R10.7.1. CISA's KEV entry spells out the precondition. Exploitation works when the appliance is in an unmanaged state with its endpoints reachable from outside. mTLS with EPMM, or restricted HTTPS access through Neurons for MDM, closes those interfaces to external attackers.

## Do you really need to act?

For most customers, exposure was narrow, but the cost of being wrong is high. Ivanti told [Security Affairs](https://securityaffairs.com/193557/security/u-s-cisa-adds-ivanti-sentry-flaw-to-its-known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog-and-urges-patching-by-june-14.html) that exploitation needs access to management port 8443, which "should never be exposed to the internet." It added that a managed Sentry protects the vulnerable APIs, and that the KEV listing followed attacks on honeypots. Shadowserver's numbers back up a small attack surface: it could see just over 50 exposed Sentry admin portals. But its finding that some were backdoored shows that real, misconfigured appliances were hit.

- **Unpatched, with 8443 exposed at any point since June 10:** assume compromise.
- **Patched quickly, port 8443 internal only:** verify the version and move on.

## What to do now

1. Inventory Sentry appliances, their release line and how each is managed.
2. Upgrade to R10.5.2, R10.6.2 or R10.7.1 or later.
3. Close port 8443 and `/mics/` to the internet, and test from outside with `curl -sk --max-time 10 -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' https://<sentry>:8443/`. A result of `000` means it is unreachable.
4. Before patching a device that was exposed, collect logs and images. [CISA's BOD 26-04 guidance](https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk) sets the order: evidence first, then patch, then triage.
5. Rebuild compromised appliances from a fixed image, and rotate admin accounts and any certificates or credentials they held.

## How to tell if you were hit

Ivanti has published no indicators of compromise. Search upstream proxy and firewall logs for POSTs to `handleMessage` from anywhere other than your admin network or managing service. Where request bodies are logged, look for `execute system /configuration/system/commandexec`, the format used in the public exploit. List Sentry administrators and remove any account nobody created, since CVE-2026-10523 creates admins without credentials. Shadowserver's free network reports flagged backdoored Sentry hosts. If your IP space appeared, treat it as confirmed compromise. Patching does not remove an implant.

## Timeline

- Jun 9, 2026 — Ivanti releases fixes and an advisory for CVE-2026-10520 and CVE-2026-10523, with no known exploitation.
- Jun 10, 2026 — watchTowr publishes its analysis and exploit, and CERT-EU issues an [advisory](https://www.cert.europa.eu/publications/security-advisories/2026-008/markdown). CISA issues BOD 26-04.
- Jun 11, 2026 — CISA adds CVE-2026-10520 to KEV, with a federal due date of June 14. By then, Shadowserver had reported backdoored instances.
- Jun 14, 2026 — Ivanti tells reporters that exploitation needs access to port 8443 and that the KEV listing followed attacks on honeypots.

## Sources

1. [CVE record — CVE-2026-10520](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-10520)
2. [CVE record — CVE-2026-10523](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-10523)
3. [NVD — CVE-2026-10520](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-10520)
4. [CISA — Known Exploited Vulnerabilities: CVE-2026-10520](https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-10520)
5. [CISA — BOD 26-04 implementation guidance: prioritizing security updates based on risk](https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk)
6. [watchTowr Labs — Ivanti Sentry pre-auth OS command injection (CVE-2026-10520)](https://labs.watchtowr.com/more-evidence-that-words-dont-mean-what-we-thought-they-meant-ivanti-sentry-pre-auth-os-command-injection-cve-2026-10520/)
7. [Rapid7 — CVE-2026-10520, CVE-2026-10523: Multiple critical vulnerabilities affecting Ivanti Sentry](https://rapid7.com/blog/post/etr-cve-2026-10520-cve-2026-10523-multiple-critical-vulnerabilities-affecting-ivanti-sentry)
8. [CERT-EU — Security Advisory 2026-008: Critical vulnerabilities in Ivanti Sentry](https://www.cert.europa.eu/publications/security-advisories/2026-008/markdown)
9. [Help Net Security — Critical Ivanti Sentry flaw allows root-level remote code execution](https://helpnetsecurity.com/2026/06/10/ivanti-sentry-cve-2026-10520-cve-2026-10523/)
10. [BleepingComputer — CISA gives feds 3 days to patch Ivanti flaw exploited in attacks](https://bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-gives-feds-3-days-to-patch-ivanti-flaw-exploited-in-attacks)
11. [Security Affairs — CISA adds Ivanti Sentry flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog](https://securityaffairs.com/193557/security/u-s-cisa-adds-ivanti-sentry-flaw-to-its-known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog-and-urges-patching-by-june-14.html)

---
Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/briefs/ivanti-sentry-cve-2026-10520-command-injection/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt