CVE-2026-44725 emqx CVE debrief

Who should care

Organizations using EMQX for AI, IoT, IIoT, or connected vehicle applications should be aware of this vulnerability and take steps to mitigate it. This includes reviewing and limiting dashboard administrator credentials and API keys, restricting access to the plugin-install REST API and dashboard upload, and implementing additional security measures to detect and prevent exploitation.

Technical summary

The EMQX plugin-install REST API and dashboard upload are vulnerable to code execution due to improper validation of plugin installations. An attacker with compromised dashboard administrator credentials or an API key with plugin-install permission can upload malicious Erlang code, which will be executed with elevated privileges. The vulnerability is caused by the lack of a five-minute grant lifetime or SHA-256 package binding for stale grants created with emqx ctl plugins.

Defensive priority

Organizations using EMQX should prioritize updating to a fixed version to prevent potential code execution.

Recommended defensive actions

• Update EMQX to version 5.8.11, 5.9.3, 5.10.4, 6.0.3, 6.1.2, or 6.2.1
• Restrict access to the plugin-install REST API and dashboard upload
• Monitor for suspicious plugin installation activity
• Review and limit dashboard administrator credentials and API keys
• Implement additional security measures to detect and prevent exploitation
• Conduct a thorough review of the EMQX configuration and plugin installations
• Verify that all plugin installations are properly validated and up-to-date

Evidence notes

The CVE details indicate that EMQX versions prior to 5.8.11, 5.9.3, 5.10.4, 6.0.3, 6.1.2, and 6.2.1 are vulnerable due to improper validation of plugin installations, allowing for potential code execution with elevated privileges. Evidence is based on official CVE and NVD records, as well as references from the EMQX GitHub repository. The plugin-install REST API and dashboard upload accepted stale grants created with emqx ctl plugins allow because there was no five-minute grant lifetime or SHA-256 package binding.

Official resources