# CVE-2026-44461: Zed code editor command injection in SSH and WSL remote sessions

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-44461-zed-code-editor-command-injection-in-ssh-and-wsl-remote-sessions  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-28. Updated: 2026-05-28  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-44461 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.6 · Published 2026-05-28

Zed is a high-performance code editor used by developers to write and manage software. A vulnerability in how the editor handles remote connections (via SSH or WSL) allows a malicious project to execute unauthorized commands on a user's computer or remote server. If a user opens a project containing a specially crafted settings file, an attacker could gain full access to the user's files and account on that system.

Technologies: [Zed Industries Zed](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/zed). Vendors: [Zed Industries](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/zed-industries).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-44461 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-44461 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-44461?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.6, published 28 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Zed Industries Zed < 0.227.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44461?** A patch was published on 2026-05-28: Fixed in version 0.227.1 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-44461 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-44461?** Check whether you run Zed Industries Zed 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.

## Technical details

An OS command injection vulnerability exists in Zed's SSH and WSL remote command builders. When establishing a remote session, Zed constructs a shell command string using 'exec env' but fails to quote or validate environment variable keys (though it does quote the values). An attacker can exploit this by placing a malicious '.zed/settings.json' file in a repository that defines a terminal environment key containing shell expansions, such as '$(command)'. When a victim opens the project and launches a terminal, the remote shell evaluates the expansion, leading to arbitrary code execution under the victim's account. The issue is fixed in version 0.227.1 by implementing strict validation for environment variable keys.

## Affected products

- Zed Industries Zed < 0.227.1

## Timeline

- 2026-05-08: disclosed: Vulnerability reported to Zed team via GitHub Advisory
- 2026-05-28: advisory: CVE-2026-44461 published
- 2026-05-28: patched: Fixed in version 0.227.1

## References

- [https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/security/advisories/GHSA-63qj-jc2q-7hg5](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/security/advisories/GHSA-63qj-jc2q-7hg5)

## Related threats

- [Zed Industries Zed command injection in terminal tool permissions](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-44466-zed-industries-zed-command-injection-in-terminal-tool-permissions)
- [Zed Industries Zed terminal tool permission bypass via environment variables](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-44463-zed-industries-zed-terminal-tool-permission-bypass-via)
- [Zed code editor command injection via Bash expansion in terminal tool](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-44462-zed-code-editor-command-injection-via-bash-expansion-in-terminal)