CVE Intelligence
High File handling

CVE-2026-55676 — Malcolm vulnerable to RCE via unrestricted .php upload to the file-upload component

Malcolm is a network traffic analysis tool suite. The file-upload component (FilePond PHP backend) accepts uploads at `POST /server/php/submit.php` and stores them in a directory served by the same nginx and php-fpm instance. The allow-list that should restrict accepted file types is an empty array by default (`file-upload/php/config.php:16`), so the type check is a no-op and every extension is accepted. The filename sanitizer keeps the `.php` extension intact. Committed files land in `/var/www/upload/server/php/files` (`file-upload/php/config.php:7`), and the component's nginx routes any URL ending in `.php` to php-fpm. An authenticated `GET /server/php/files/<name>.php` then executes the uploaded code as `www-data`. Prior to version 26.06.1, in RBAC mode, the upload endpoint is reachable by the granular `ROLE_UPLOAD` role (`nginx/lua/nginx_auth_helpers.lua:71`), a role intended only for submitting capture files. As a result, a user holding the upload-only role runs arbitrary PHP as `www-data` inside the file-upload container. Version 26.06.1 fixes the issue.

Published Aug 11, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: icscert

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • Technical severity (high)+6

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
—
No EPSS score.
Affects
Cisagov
Malcolm
CVSS base
8.8
High · 2 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Cisagov Malcolm).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Cisagov Malcolm version < 26.06.1 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
8.7 CVSS 4.0 High — — ics-cert@hq.dhs.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.7 CVSS 4.0 High — — icscert via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
8.8 CVSS 3.1 High 2.8 5.9 ics-cert@hq.dhs.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.8 CVSS 3.1 High — — icscert via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: ics-cert@hq.dhs.gov)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-434 · Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type

Other CVEs with this weakness →

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
  • Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSfile integrity (FIM)endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · cisagov/malcolm
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 15, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 8.8
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Deferred
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Aug 11, 2026 · icscert

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

4 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Cisagov
every CVE for this vendor
File handling
same class
CWE-434
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-19670 Incorrect Authorization in CISA Malcolm Aug 18, 2026
  • CVE-2026-19671 Improper handling of highly compressed data (data amplification) in CISA Malcolm Aug 18, 2026
  • CVE-2026-63133 Malcolm has Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in Archive Extraction (Inode-Exhaustion DoS) Aug 11, 2026
  • CVE-2026-63134 Malcolm's Path Traversal in Archive Extraction Allows Arbitrary Directory Creation Aug 11, 2026
  • CVE-2026-63177 Malcolm Vulnerable to Authorization Bypass via URI Normalization Differential in Nginx Lua RBAC Aug 11, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No FIRST EPSS score.
  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-55676 is "Malcolm vulnerable to RCE via unrestricted .php upload to the file-upload component", rated High. It affects Malcolm (Cisagov); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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