Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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:XCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-27509 is a high-severity Missing Authentication for Critical Function (CWE-306) vulnerability in Unitree Go2 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 39th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-14 (Permitted Actions Without Identification or Authentication) and IA-2 (Identification and Authentication (Organizational Users)) — 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-2026-27509 affects Unitree Go2 firmware versions V1.1.7 through V1.1.9 and V1.1.11 (EDU), stemming from a lack of DDS authentication or authorization in the Eclipse CycloneDDS topic rt/api/programming_actuator/request, which is handled by actuator_manager.py. This vulnerability, classified under CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function), has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.0 (AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). It was published on 2026-02-26.
A network-adjacent, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this by joining DDS domain 0 and publishing a crafted message with api_id=1002 containing arbitrary Python code. The Unitree Go2 robot processes this message by writing the code to disk under /unitree/etc/programming/ and binding it to a physical controller keybinding. When the keybinding is pressed, the code executes with root privileges, and the binding persists across reboots, enabling high-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability violations.
Advisories and additional details are available in the following references: https://boschko.ca/unitree-go2-rce/, https://shop.unitree.com/products/unitree-go2, and https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/unitree-go2-missing-dds-authentication-enables-adjacent-rce.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-8881
Vulnerability Data
Unitree Go2 firmware versions V1.1.7 through V1.1.9, and V1.1.11 (EDU) do not implement DDS authentication or authorization for the Eclipse CycloneDDS topic rt/api/programming_actuator/request handled by actuator_manager.py. A network-adjacent, unauthenticated attacker can join DDS domain 0 and publish a crafted message…
more
(api_id=1002) containing arbitrary Python, which the robot writes to disk under /unitree/etc/programming/ and binds to a physical controller keybinding. When the keybinding is pressed, the code executes as root and the binding persists across reboots.
- 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 · 3 OS baselines
V6.2.3V6.4.4V10.4.16V12.1.3
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly mandates unique identification and authentication of users before access to functions requiring identity.
Extends the same authentication requirement to non-organizational users accessing critical functionality.
Requires authentication of services before they can invoke or expose critical functions.
Explicitly identifies and limits actions permitted without authentication, preventing critical functions from being exposed.
Access enforcement requires prior authentication before any authorization decision for critical functions.
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.
Directly requires authentication of users/services/hardware, which eliminates missing authentication for critical functions.
Managing identities and credentials is a prerequisite for authentication but does not itself enforce it on critical functions.
Defining and enforcing authorizations assumes prior authentication and therefore only partially mitigates the absence of authentication.
Protecting networks from unauthorized access can be undermined by missing authentication but does not address the root authentication gap.
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.
The control explicitly calls for authentication before any critical function is reached, eliminating the possibility of bypassing authentication for high-value operations.
Mandating authentication requirements for critical functions at the requirements-gathering stage ensures that essential operations are not left unprotected by missing login or verification mechanisms.
Mandating authentication for network services and critical functions stops attackers from invoking sensitive operations without credentials, closing gaps where authentication is absent for important capabilities.
Security engineering principles insist on authentication and authorization for every critical function, eliminating entry points that lack any access control mechanism.
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 (2 rules)
- V-248585 OL 8 must require reauthentication when using the "sudo" command. prevents CWE-306
- V-248827 OL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-306
RHEL 7 (2 rules)
- V-204442 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-306
- V-237635 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must require re-authentication when using the "sudo" command. prevents CWE-306
RHEL 8 (2 rules)
- V-230492 RHEL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-306
- V-237643 RHEL 8 must require re-authentication when using the "sudo" command. prevents CWE-306