CPANSA-GRID-Machine-2026-4851: GRID-Machine vulnerability
| Publisher | giterlizzi | Document category | csaf_security_advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial release date | 2026-03-29T00:00:00 | Engine | CSAF Perl Toolkit 0.26 |
| Current release date | 2026-03-29T00:00:00 | Build Date | |
| Current version | 1 | Status | final |
| CVSS v3.1 Base Score | 9.8 | Severity | |
| Original language | Language | en | |
| Also referred to | |||
Vulnerability Description
GRID::Machine versions through 0.127 for Perl allows arbitrary code execution via unsafe deserialization. GRID::Machine provides Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) over SSH for Perl. The client connects to remote hosts to execute code on them. A compromised or malicious remote host can execute arbitrary code back on the client through unsafe deserialization in the RPC protocol. read_operation() in lib/GRID/Machine/Message.pm deserialises values from the remote side using eval() $arg .= '$VAR1'; my $val = eval "no strict; $arg"; # line 40-41 $arg is raw bytes from the protocol pipe. A compromised remote host can embed arbitrary perl in the Dumper-formatted response: $VAR1 = do { system("..."); }; This executes on the client silently on every RPC call, as the return values remain correct. This functionality is by design but the trust requirement for the remote host is not documented in the distribution.
Vulnerabilities
CVE-2026-4851
Vulnerability DescriptionGRID::Machine versions through 0.127 for Perl allows arbitrary code execution via unsafe deserialization.
GRID::Machine provides Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) over SSH for Perl. The client connects to remote hosts to execute code on them. A compromised or malicious remote host can execute arbitrary code back on the client through unsafe deserialization in the RPC protocol.
read_operation() in lib/GRID/Machine/Message.pm deserialises values from the remote side using eval()
$arg .= '$VAR1';
my $val = eval "no strict; $arg"; # line 40-41
$arg is raw bytes from the protocol pipe. A compromised remote host can embed arbitrary perl in the Dumper-formatted response:
$VAR1 = do { system("..."); };
This executes on the client silently on every RPC call, as the return values remain correct.
This functionality is by design but the trust requirement for the remote host is not documented in the distribution.
| Weakness | CWE-95 : Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection') |
|---|
Product status
Known affected
| Product | Score | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRID-Machine greater than 0 |
|
giterlizzi
Namespace: https://github.com/giterlizzi/
gdt@cpan.org
References
- CPANSA-GRID-Machine-2026-4851 JSON self
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/giterlizzi/perl-CPANSA-CSAF/develop/csaf/white/2026/cpansa-grid-machine-2026-4851.json - https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/26/6 external
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/26/6 - http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/26/6 external
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/26/6 - CVE-2026-4851 (NVD) external
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-4851
Revision history
| Version | Date of the revision | Summary of the revision |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun Mar 29 00:00:00 2026 | First release |
Sharing rules
TLP:WHITE
For the TLP version see: https://www.first.org/tlp/