Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-48030: Pheditor: OS Command Injection in terminal handler via unsanitized 'dir' parameter
Pheditor is a single-file editor and file manager written in PHP.
CVSS 9.9 Critical EPSS 7.5% · p94
Should you act?
Critical, preconditions apply
Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
- EPSS 7.5%, percentile 94: FIRST’s model estimates a 7.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 94% of all scored CVEs (elevated). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
pheditor/pheditor(Composer (PHP)) >= 2.0.1, <= 2.0.3, fixed in 2.0.4. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
Pheditor is a single-file editor and file manager written in PHP. From version 2.0.1 to before version 2.0.4, an OS Command Injection vulnerability in the terminal action handler allows any authenticated user to execute arbitrary OS commands by injecting shell metacharacters into the 'dir' POST parameter, completely bypassing the TERMINALCOMMANDS whitelist and achieving full Remote Code Execution with web server privileges. This issue has been patched in version 2.0.4.
From the GitHub advisory
Summary
An OS Command Injection vulnerability in the terminal action handler allows any authenticated user to execute arbitrary OS commands by injecting shell metacharacters into the 'dir' POST parameter, completely bypassing the TERMINALCOMMANDS whitelist and achieving full Remote Code Execution with web server privileges.
Details
The terminal handler in pheditor.php accepts two POST parameters: command and dir. Shell metacharacters are validated on $command only — $dir is passed to shellexec() without any sanitization.
Vulnerable code (pheditor.php, line 554–586):
Weakness type: CWE-78.
Product: pheditor/pheditor (Composer (PHP)) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-07-27
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composer (PHP) | pheditor/pheditor | >= 2.0.1, <= 2.0.3 | 2.0.4 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| pheditor | pheditor | >= 2.0.1, < 2.0.4 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_M | 3.1 | 9.9 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.9 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: low (any account)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: changed (can affect other components)
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 7.55% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 94.
Timeline
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-jvc5-6g7q-c843 published (critical)
- — CVE record last updated
- — CVE record published by GitHub_M
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-jvc5-6g7q-c843 github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-48030 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-48030 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com
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