CVE-2026-26959
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-26959 is a high-severity Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere (CWE-829) vulnerability. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Supply Chain Compromise (T1195); ranked at the 7th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SR-4 (Provenance) and SR-11 (Component Authenticity) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-26959 affects ADB Explorer, a Windows application providing a graphical user interface for the Android Debug Bridge (ADB). Versions 0.9.26020 and prior fail to validate the integrity or authenticity of the ADB binary path specified in the ManualAdbPath setting within the application's configuration before executing it. This flaw, classified under CWE-829 (Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere), enables arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user, as rated 7.8 on the CVSS v3.1 scale (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by creating a malicious App.txt settings file that sets ManualAdbPath to point to an arbitrary executable under their control. The attacker then convinces a victim to launch ADB Explorer using a command-line argument that directs the application to load from a malicious configuration directory. This can be facilitated through social engineering, such as distributing an archive containing a shortcut bundled with the crafted settings file, leading to remote code execution (RCE) upon application startup by any local user who interacts with the lure.
The issue has been addressed in ADB Explorer version 0.9.26021. Official mitigation details are available in the GitHub security advisory (GHSA-gcgv-2jq7-74rp), the release notes for v0.9.26021, and the fixing commit (1b9fed20e875f5e74fd04e9889402f969c2d34e4), which presumably introduce validation of the ManualAdbPath to prevent execution of untrusted binaries. Security practitioners should advise users to update to the patched version and avoid loading configurations from untrusted sources.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-8413
Vulnerability Data
ADB Explorer is a fluent UI for ADB on Windows. Versions 0.9.26020 and below fail to validate the integrity or authenticity of the ADB binary path specified in the ManualAdbPath setting before executing it, allowing arbitrary code execution with the…
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privileges of the current user. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious App.txt settings file that points ManualAdbPath to an arbitrary executable, then convincing a victim to launch the application with a command-line argument directing it to the malicious configuration directory. This vulnerability could be leveraged through social engineering tactics, such as distributing a shortcut bundled with a crafted settings file in an archive, resulting in RCE upon application startup. Thus issue has been fixed in version 0.9.26021.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 6 hardening rules · 6 OS baselines
V14.2.3V3.5.6V9.1.3V15.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires documented, valid provenance for components, preventing acceptance of code from outside the trusted sphere.
Implements detection and prevention of counterfeit or inauthentic components before they are integrated.
Establishes processes to identify and address supply-chain weaknesses that would allow untrusted functionality.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Pre-acquisition integrity/authenticity checks directly prevent inclusion of untrusted code.
Supply-chain program directly governs inclusion of third-party executable code.
Contractual requirements can mandate trusted sources and integrity checks for included functionality.
Supplier risk assessment explicitly covers risks from their products and libraries.
Critical-supplier assessment reduces risk of importing executable functionality from untrusted parties.
Secure SDLC practices include dependency vetting and trusted-source policies.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
By requiring suppliers to propagate security requirements and to disclose component provenance, the control limits the inclusion of functionality obtained from untrusted third-party sources without oversight.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248635 Executable search paths within the initialization files of all local interactive OL 8 users must only contain paths that resolve to the system default or the user's home directory. prevents CWE-829
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
- V-271847 OL 9 must be configured so that executable search paths within the initialization files of all local interactive users must only contain paths that resolve to the system default or the users home directory. prevents CWE-829
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
- V-204477 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that all local interactive user initialization files executable search paths contain only paths that resolve to the users home directory. prevents CWE-829
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-230317 Executable search paths within the initialization files of all local interactive RHEL 8 users must only contain paths that resolve to the system default or the users home directory. prevents CWE-829
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
- V-258050 Executable search paths within the initialization files of all local interactive RHEL 9 users must only contain paths that resolve to the system default or the users home directory. prevents CWE-829
Windows 10 (1 rule)
- V-220737 Administrative accounts must not be used with applications that access the Internet, such as web browsers, or with potential Internet sources, such as email. prevents CWE-829