8.6
HIGH CVSS 4.0
CVE-2026-26978
Free PBX backup: Deserialization of Untrusted Data in admin/modules/backup/Models/BackupSplFileInfo.php
Description

FreePBX is an open source IP PBX. In versions below 16.0.71 and 17.0.6, the backup module does not properly sanitize data during restore operations, potentially leading to compromise if the backup contains carefully crafted hostile data. During backup restore operations, FreePBX extracts selected files from a user-supplied tar archive. If a malicious file exists in the archive, it is read and passed directly to unserialize() without validation, class restrictions, or integrity checks. This issue allows Remote Code Execution during restoration of the backup as the web server user (typically asterisk or www-data). The attack does not require shell access, CLI access, or filesystem write permissions beyond the normal restore workflow. Authentication with a known username that has sufficient access permissions and/or write access to backup files is required. This issue has been fixed in versions 16.0.71 and 17.0.6.

INFO

Published Date :

May 18, 2026, 9:16 p.m.

Last Modified :

May 18, 2026, 9:16 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-26978 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

No affected product recoded yet

CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 4.0 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update FreePBX backup module to patch remote code execution vulnerability.
  • Update FreePBX to version 16.0.71 or higher.
  • Update FreePBX to version 17.0.6 or higher.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2026-26978.

URL Resource
https://github.com/FreePBX/backup/commit/45c57e1207cbf9fd1c5f76f8a3e72d204a69a472
https://github.com/FreePBX/backup/commit/64781af5c80cce0cff21a981be4d8e6a7a71f2c4
https://github.com/FreePBX/security-reporting/security/advisories/GHSA-5v7h-49gr-jcwr
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-26978 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-26978 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-26978 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-26978 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    May. 18, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description FreePBX is an open source IP PBX. In versions below 16.0.71 and 17.0.6, the backup module does not properly sanitize data during restore operations, potentially leading to compromise if the backup contains carefully crafted hostile data. During backup restore operations, FreePBX extracts selected files from a user-supplied tar archive. If a malicious file exists in the archive, it is read and passed directly to unserialize() without validation, class restrictions, or integrity checks. This issue allows Remote Code Execution during restoration of the backup as the web server user (typically asterisk or www-data). The attack does not require shell access, CLI access, or filesystem write permissions beyond the normal restore workflow. Authentication with a known username that has sufficient access permissions and/or write access to backup files is required. This issue has been fixed in versions 16.0.71 and 17.0.6.
    Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
    Added CWE CWE-502
    Added Reference https://github.com/FreePBX/backup/commit/45c57e1207cbf9fd1c5f76f8a3e72d204a69a472
    Added Reference https://github.com/FreePBX/backup/commit/64781af5c80cce0cff21a981be4d8e6a7a71f2c4
    Added Reference https://github.com/FreePBX/security-reporting/security/advisories/GHSA-5v7h-49gr-jcwr
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.