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GHSA-2Q4C-3MRW-63C3
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-05-19 19:18 – Updated: 2026-05-19 19:18Summary
Kopia's HTTP server, when started with --without-password, accepts unauthenticated requests to /api/v1/repo/exists. The handler forwards an attacker-supplied storage configuration to blob.NewStorage. For SFTP backends with externalSSH: true, that path constructs a process command line by splitting sshArguments on spaces and passes the result directly to exec.CommandContext("ssh"). An -oProxyCommand=<cmd> token in sshArguments causes OpenSSH to invoke <cmd> via $SHELL -c before any TCP connection is attempted, giving the requester arbitrary command execution as the Kopia process user.
Analysis
internal/server/server_authz_checks.go lines 61–73:
when the server is started without --server-username or --server-password, getAuthenticator() returns nil and requireUIUser unconditionally authorizes the request. Every endpoint registered through handleUIPossiblyNotConnected becomes accessible without credentials.
repo/blob/sftp/sftp_storage.go lines 448–468:
opt.SSHArguments is populated from the JSON request body (storage.config.sshArguments). The string is split only on the literal ASCII space character, there is no shell style tokenizer, no quote handling, and no allowlist. Whatever tokens the caller supplies are appended to the ssh argv.
OpenSSH treats -oProxyCommand=<value> as a directive to execute <value> via the user's shell ($SHELL -c <value>) and pipe the SSH transport over its stdio. The shell invocation happens before SSH attempts a TCP connection, so the command runs even when the target host is unreachable.
Impact
No user interaction is required. No valid credentials are required. The exploit is a single HTTP request.
Credits
This vulnerability was discovered and responsibly disclosed by Daniele Berardinelli.
Mitigation
https://github.com/kopia/kopia/pull/5354 disallows starting of a server without a password which also listens on a non-loopback interface.
{
"affected": [
{
"database_specific": {
"last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 0.22.3"
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Go",
"name": "github.com/kopia/kopia"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "0.23.0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-45695"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-306",
"CWE-78"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-05-19T19:18:32Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "CRITICAL"
},
"details": "## Summary\n\nKopia\u0027s HTTP server, when started with `--without-password `, accepts unauthenticated requests to `/api/v1/repo/exists`. The handler forwards an attacker-supplied storage configuration to `blob.NewStorage`. For SFTP backends with `externalSSH: true`, that path constructs a process command line by splitting `sshArguments` on spaces and passes the result directly to `exec.CommandContext(\"ssh\")`. An `-oProxyCommand=\u003ccmd\u003e` token in `sshArguments` causes OpenSSH to invoke `\u003ccmd\u003e` via `$SHELL -c` before any TCP connection is attempted, giving the requester arbitrary command execution as the Kopia process user.\n\n## Analysis\n\n[`internal/server/server_authz_checks.go` lines 61\u201373](https://github.com/kopia/kopia/blob/v0.22.3/internal/server/server_authz_checks.go#L61-L73):\n\nwhen the server is started without `--server-username` or `--server-password`, `getAuthenticator()` returns `nil` and `requireUIUser` unconditionally authorizes the request. Every endpoint registered through `handleUIPossiblyNotConnected` becomes accessible without credentials.\n\n[`repo/blob/sftp/sftp_storage.go` lines 448\u2013468](https://github.com/kopia/kopia/blob/v0.22.3/repo/blob/sftp/sftp_storage.go#L448-L468):\n\n`opt.SSHArguments` is populated from the JSON request body (`storage.config.sshArguments`). The string is split only on the literal ASCII space character, there is no shell style tokenizer, no quote handling, and no allowlist. Whatever tokens the caller supplies are appended to the `ssh` argv. \n\nOpenSSH treats `-oProxyCommand=\u003cvalue\u003e` as a directive to execute `\u003cvalue\u003e` via the user\u0027s shell (`$SHELL -c \u003cvalue\u003e`) and pipe the SSH transport over its stdio. The shell invocation happens before SSH attempts a TCP connection, so the command runs even when the target host is unreachable.\n\n## Impact\n\nNo user interaction is required. No valid credentials are required. The exploit is a single HTTP request.\n\n## Credits \n\nThis vulnerability was discovered and responsibly disclosed by Daniele Berardinelli.\n\n## Mitigation\nhttps://github.com/kopia/kopia/pull/5354 disallows starting of a server without a password which also listens on a non-loopback interface.",
"id": "GHSA-2q4c-3mrw-63c3",
"modified": "2026-05-19T19:18:32Z",
"published": "2026-05-19T19:18:32Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/kopia/kopia/security/advisories/GHSA-2q4c-3mrw-63c3"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/kopia/kopia/pull/5354"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/kopia/kopia"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "Kopia: RCE via SSH ProxyCommand Injection"
}