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Full vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-50187High confidence

Oh My Zsh: Arbitrary Code Execution in oh-my-zsh dotenv plugin via malicious .env files

ohmyzsh · ohmyzsh

8.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Fix not verified
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2026-60954

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

Oh My Zsh is a community-driven framework for managing Zsh configuration. Prior to 2026-05-28, the dotenv plugin in plugins/dotenv/dotenv.plugin.zsh passes ZSH_DOTENV_FILE to source after a directory change into a folder containing a .env file, allowing syntactically valid shell commands in the file to execute with the current account's privileges, including without a prompt when ZSH_DOTENV_PROMPT=false or after the default prompt accepts an empty Enter response. This issue is fixed in versions released after 2026-05-28.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
8.8 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Fix not verified
01

What, why and how

Oh My Zsh is a community-driven framework for managing Zsh configuration. Prior to 2026-05-28, the dotenv plugin in plugins/dotenv/dotenv.plugin.zsh passes ZSH_DOTENV_FILE to source after a directory change into a folder containing a .env file, allowing syntactically valid shell commands in the file to execute with the current account's privileges, including without a prompt when ZSH_DOTENV_PROMPT=false or after the default prompt accepts an empty Enter response. This issue is fixed in versions released after 2026-05-28.

What

Oh My Zsh is a community-driven framework for managing Zsh configuration. Prior to 2026-05-28, the dotenv plugin in plugins/dotenv/dotenv.plugin.zsh passes ZSH_DOTENV_FILE to source after a directory change into a folder containing a .env file, allowing syntactically valid shell commands in the file to execute with the current account's privileges, including without a prompt when ZSH_DOTENV_PROMPT=false or after the default prompt accepts an empty Enter response. This issue is fixed in versions released after 2026-05-28.

Why

Untrusted data can cross into a code-evaluation path and be interpreted as executable instructions.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication after a user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

Oh My Zsh is a community-driven framework for managing Zsh configuration. Prior to 2026-05-28, the dotenv plugin in plugins/dotenv/dotenv.plugin.zsh passes ZSH_DOTENV_FILE to source after a directory change into a folder containing a .env file, allowing syntactically valid shell commands in the file to execute with the current account's privileges, including without a prompt when ZSH_DOTENV_PROMPT=false or after the default prompt accepts an empty Enter response. This issue is fixed in versions released after 2026-05-28.

Why

Untrusted data can cross into a code-evaluation path and be interpreted as executable instructions.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication after a user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
Required interaction required
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-94 ↗

CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'). The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UIRequiredUser interaction: Another user must perform an action for exploitation to succeed.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedCWE-94
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-60954Official EUVD mapping

Oh My Zsh is a community-driven framework for managing Zsh configuration. Prior to 2026-05-28, the dotenv plugin in plugins/dotenv/dotenv.plugin.zsh passes ZSH_DOTENV_FILE to source after a directory change into a folder containing a .env file, allowing syntactically valid shell commands in the file to execute with the current account's privileges, including without a prompt when ZSH_DOTENV_PROMPT=false or after the default prompt accepts an empty Enter response. This issue is fixed in versions released after 2026-05-28.

Official EUVD record
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix not verified
Affected
ohmyzsh: < 2026-05-28
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 18 Aug 2026 · Last source change 18 Aug 2026, 17:46 UTC · CWE-94 · Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-23
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-60954
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD received

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates →
  1. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-60954↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2026-50187 · cve.blacktree.nl