CVE-2026-42076: Evolver is a GEP-powered self-evolving engine for AI agents. Prior to version 1.69.3, a command injection vulnerability in the _extractLLM()

CVE-2026-42076 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.8 · Published 2026-05-04

EvoMap Evolver is a Node.js-based genetic algorithm framework that processes user input to optimize and analyze code. A command injection vulnerability in the core LLM extraction function allows attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands with the privileges of the Node.js process, leading to complete system compromise, data theft, malware installation, and lateral movement within networks.

Technologies: EvoMap Evolver, @evomap/evolver (npm). Vendors: EvoMap, npm.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-42076 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-42076 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-42076?
Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 4 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
EvoMap Evolver < 1.69.3; @evomap/evolver (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=1.69.3.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-42076?
Yes. @evomap/evolver (npm): upgrade to 1.69.3 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-42076 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-42076?
Check whether you run EvoMap Evolver or @evomap/evolver (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • @evomap/evolver (npm): upgrade to 1.69.3 or later
    npm install @evomap/evolver@1.69.3

Technical details

The vulnerability is an OS command injection (CWE-78) in the _extractLLM() function in src/gep/signals.js (lines 260-274). The function constructs a curl command by concatenating user-controlled input via the corpus parameter with shell command syntax, then passes the result to Node.js execSync() without proper sanitization. Although JSON.stringify() is used, it does not prevent shell metacharacter interpretation; attackers can inject commands using $(...) command substitution syntax. The corpus parameter originates from user snippets processed by extractSignals() in the main evolution loop. No authentication, special privileges, or user interaction is required; exploitation requires only the ability to provide input to the vulnerable function. A successful exploit grants remote code execution with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. The vulnerability was patched in version 1.69.3.

Affected products

  • EvoMap Evolver < 1.69.3

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-42076
  • GHSA-j5w5-568x-rq53

Timeline

  • 2026-04-22: disclosed
  • 2026-04-20: patched: Version 1.69.3 released

References

This page as Markdown. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.