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CVE-2026-55581 — mcp-shell is an MCP server for running shell commands securely, auditably, and on demand.

Key facts

CVE-2026-55581 is a High (8.4) vulnerability: mcp-shell is an MCP server for running shell commands securely, auditably, and on demand.. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab.

CVE CVE-2026-55581
Severity High (8.4)
Detection / prevention —
PoC poc.py
Source 2026/CVE-2026-55581/

Details

English | 한국어

Description

mcp-shell is an MCP server for running shell commands securely, auditably, and on demand. Prior to 0.6.0, the default Docker security.yaml includes /bin/bash in allowed_executables, while security.go validates only the first token and checkBlockedPatternsAndCommands does not reject the shell command-mode flag -c. A caller of the shell_exec MCP tool can provide the command argument /bin/bash -c <arbitrary-command>, which passes validation and reaches executor.go, where parseCommand and exec.CommandContext execute the arbitrary command as mcpuser outside the intended allowlist. This issue is fixed in version 0.6.0.

Vulnerability Details

Property Value
CVE ID CVE-2026-55581
Type RCE
CVSS Score 8.4

Proof of Concept

Download

# Download PoC script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fankh/vulnerability-poc/main/2026/CVE-2026-55581/poc.py

Usage

# Run PoC against target
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL>

# With authentication
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL> --username <USER> --password <PASS>

⚠️ Warning: This PoC is for authorized security testing only. It uses detection-only techniques and does not exploit or damage target systems.

Test Lab

This repository includes a Docker-based test environment with both vulnerable and patched applications.

Quick Start

# Clone and navigate to CVE directory
cd CVE-2026-55581

# Start both applications
docker-compose up -d

# Run tests
./run-tests.sh    # Linux/Mac
./run-tests.ps1   # Windows PowerShell

Application Endpoints

Application URL Status
Vulnerable App http://localhost:8080 Shows vulnerability
Patched App http://localhost:8081 Demonstrates fix

Directory Structure

├── README.md           # English documentation
├── README_KO.md        # Korean documentation
├── poc.py              # PoC detection script
├── docker-compose.yml  # Container orchestration
├── run-tests.sh        # Linux/Mac test runner
├── run-tests.ps1       # Windows test runner
├── vulnerable-app/     # Vulnerable version
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── requirements.txt
└── patched-app/        # Fixed version
    ├── app.py
    ├── Dockerfile
    └── requirements.txt

References

  • https://github.com/sonirico/mcp-shell/commit/f31377fce6ec31114e5a4398c0e5270552bce09f
  • https://github.com/sonirico/mcp-shell/pull/16
  • https://github.com/sonirico/mcp-shell/releases/tag/v0.6.0
  • https://github.com/sonirico/mcp-shell/security/advisories/GHSA-3x77-wg38-92r3
  • https://github.com/sonirico/mcp-shell/security/advisories/GHSA-3x77-wg38-92r3

Generated by PoC Generator on 2026-08-26T09:40:21.253539579

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-55581?

CVE-2026-55581 is a High (8.4) vulnerability: mcp-shell is an MCP server for running shell commands securely, auditably, and on demand.. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab.

How do I detect CVE-2026-55581?

Run the detection-only PoC included with this entry against your Docker test lab to confirm whether a target is affected; pair it with your own IDS logging.

How do I block or mitigate CVE-2026-55581?

Upgrade to a fixed version per the vendor advisory; the NVD record lists the affected versions. Use the included PoC to verify your remediation.


For authorized security testing and research only. See the full source and NVD record.