# CVE-2026-73680: Cockpit CMS command injection in FFmpeg integration

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-73680-cockpit-cms-command-injection-in-ffmpeg-integration  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-08-14. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-73680 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.8 · Published 2026-08-14

Cockpit CMS is a popular content management platform used to store and manage digital assets including video files. An authenticated user with basic asset upload permissions can execute arbitrary system commands by uploading a video with specially crafted filenames containing shell metacharacters. This allows an attacker to take over the web server and potentially access sensitive customer data or launch further attacks on the infrastructure.

Technologies: [Cockpit CMS](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/cockpit-cms). Vendors: [Cockpit](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/cockpit).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-73680 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-73680 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-73680?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 14 August 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Cockpit CMS 2.14.0 and prior.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-73680?** A patch was published on 2026-07-05: Fix implemented via commit 28813596f57685f63d3a48f655e8e9bd2b535cab refactoring FFmpeg/Vips classes to use Process with array arguments Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-73680 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-73680?** Check whether you run Cockpit CMS 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

The vulnerability is a command injection flaw in the FFmpeg integration module. The root cause is unsafe string interpolation: user-supplied filenames are directly interpolated into a shell command via Process::fromShellCommandline() before input sanitization runs. An authenticated attacker with assets/upload permission can exploit this by uploading a video file with a filename containing shell metacharacters (backticks, $(), semicolons, etc.) to escape the FFmpeg command context and execute arbitrary shell commands as the web-server user. The attack requires authentication but only basic upload privileges. A fix was implemented in a July 2026 commit that refactors the FFmpeg class to use Process with array arguments instead of shell command strings, eliminating the injection vector.

## Affected products

- Cockpit Cockpit CMS 2.14.0 and prior

## Timeline

- 2026-08-14: disclosed: Public disclosure of CVE-2026-73680
- 2026-07-05: patched: Fix implemented via commit 28813596f57685f63d3a48f655e8e9bd2b535cab refactoring FFmpeg/Vips classes to use Process with array arguments

## References

- [https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit](https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit)
- [https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit/commit/28813596f57685f63d3a48f655e8e9bd2b535cab](https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit/commit/28813596f57685f63d3a48f655e8e9bd2b535cab)

## Related threats

- [Cockpit CMS timing attack account enumeration](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-109379-cockpit-cms-2-14-1-contains-an-observable-timing-discrepancy)