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Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-40176

🗓️ 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com

Unpatched Composer CVE-2026-40176 allows command injection from Perforce parameters in composer.json; fixed in 2.2.27 and 2.9.6.

Related
Refs
Code
ReporterTitlePublishedViews
Family
GithubExploit
Exploit for CVE-2026-40176
16 Apr 202604:00
githubexploit
GithubExploit
Exploit for CVE-2026-40176
16 Apr 202604:29
githubexploit
GithubExploit
Exploit for CVE-2026-40176
17 Apr 202605:48
githubexploit
FreeBSD
PHP Composer -- Multiple vulnerabilities
14 Apr 202600:00
freebsd
ATTACKERKB
CVE-2026-40261
15 Apr 202620:56
attackerkb
ATTACKERKB
CVE-2026-40176
15 Apr 202620:47
attackerkb
Tenable Nessus
Amazon Linux 2023 : composer (ALAS2023-2026-1625)
30 Apr 202600:00
nessus
Tenable Nessus
Fedora 43 : composer (2026-02c1f66b6a)
16 Apr 202600:00
nessus
Tenable Nessus
Fedora 44 : composer (2026-1140c02041)
25 Apr 202600:00
nessus
Tenable Nessus
Fedora 42 : composer (2026-d91f313a63)
23 Apr 202600:00
nessus
Rows per page
#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(306581);
  script_version("1.8");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2026/06/02");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2026-40176");

  script_name(english:"Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-40176");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed with a vulnerability that the vendor indicates will not be
patched.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied
patch available.

  - Composer is a dependency manager for PHP. Versions 1.0 through 2.2.26 and 2.3 through 2.9.5 contain a
    command injection vulnerability in the Perforce::generateP4Command() method, which constructs shell
    commands by interpolating user-supplied Perforce connection parameters (port, user, client) without proper
    escaping. An attacker can inject arbitrary commands through these values in a malicious composer.json
    declaring a Perforce VCS repository, leading to command execution in the context of the user running
    Composer, even if Perforce is not installed. VCS repositories are only loaded from the root composer.json
    or the composer config directory, so this cannot be exploited through composer.json files of packages
    installed as dependencies. Users are at risk if they run Composer commands on untrusted projects with
    attacker-supplied composer.json files. This issue has been fixed in Composer 2.2.27 (2.2 LTS) and 2.9.6
    (mainline). (CVE-2026-40176)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-40176");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-40176");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"There is no known solution at this time.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"agent", value:"unix");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:POC/RL:U/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:P/RL:U/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2026-40176");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"Exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"true");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vendor_unpatched", value:"true");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2026/04/14");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2026/04/15");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:22.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:24.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:25.10");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:26.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:debian:debian_linux:11.0");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:composer");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:composer");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"generated_plugin", value:"current");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Misc.");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2026 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info2.nasl", "set_linux_os_id.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/cpu", "Host/local_checks_enabled", "global_settings/vendor_unpatched", "Host/OS/identifier");
  script_require_ports("Host/OS/Debian Linux-11", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-16.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-18.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-20.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-22.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-24.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-25.10", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-26.04");

  exit(0);
}

if (!get_kb_item("global_settings/vendor_unpatched")) exit(0, "Unpatched Vulnerabilities Detection not active.");
if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);
if (empty_or_null(get_one_kb_item("Host/Debian/dpkg-l"))) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

include('linux_unpatched.inc');

var distro_constraints_array = {
  "Debian Linux-11": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "11",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "composer"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-16.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "16.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "composer"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-18.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "18.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "composer"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-20.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "20.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "composer"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-22.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "22.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "composer"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-24.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "24.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "composer"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-25.10": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "25.10",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "composer"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-26.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "26.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "composer"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
};

var distro_constraints_values = linux_unpatched::get_distro_constraints(distro_constraints_arr:distro_constraints_array);
if (empty_or_null(distro_constraints_values)) audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');
var report = linux_unpatched::check_unpatched_constraints(distro_constraints_values:distro_constraints_values);

if (!empty_or_null(report))
{
  security_report_v4(
      port       : 0,
      severity   : SECURITY_HOLE,
      extra      : report
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');
}

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02 Jun 2026 00:00Current
6.2Medium risk
Vulners AI Score6.2
CVSS 3.17.8
EPSS0.00023
SSVC
0