Executive Summary

CVE-2026-6819 is a high-severity vulnerability in HKUDS OpenHarness versions before a specific fix (pull request #156). The issue arises because plugin lifecycle management commands such as /plugin install, /plugin enable, /plugin disable, and /reload-plugins are exposed by default to remote senders.

This means that attackers who gain access through the channel layer can remotely execute these commands without needing any privileges or user interaction. As a result, they can install, activate, disable, or reload plugins on the system without authorization.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can have a significant impact on the affected system's confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

• Unauthorized remote attackers can install and activate malicious plugins.
• Attackers can disable or reload plugins, potentially disrupting system functionality.
• The system's security posture is compromised as attackers gain control over plugin management without any privileges or user interaction.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves exposure of plugin lifecycle commands such as /plugin install, /plugin enable, /plugin disable, and /reload-plugins to remote senders by default. Detection can focus on monitoring network traffic or system logs for unauthorized or unexpected use of these commands.

You can check for active network connections or incoming requests that invoke these commands remotely. For example, using network monitoring tools or command-line utilities to detect suspicious access attempts to these endpoints.

• Use tools like tcpdump or Wireshark to capture and analyze network traffic for requests containing "/plugin install", "/plugin enable", "/plugin disable", or "/reload-plugins".
• On the system, review logs for any invocation of these commands from remote sources.
• Use commands such as: `grep -r "/plugin" /var/log/` to search logs for plugin command usage.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation involves restricting access to the exposed plugin lifecycle commands to prevent unauthorized remote execution.

Apply the remediation introduced in pull request #156 (commit 59017e0) which restricts access to these commands.

• Update HKUDS OpenHarness to a version that includes the fix from PR #156.
• If an immediate update is not possible, implement network-level controls such as firewall rules to block remote access to the endpoints /plugin install, /plugin enable, /plugin disable, and /reload-plugins.
• Monitor and audit plugin management commands usage to detect any unauthorized activity.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability in HKUDS OpenHarness allows unauthorized remote attackers to install, enable, disable, and reload plugins without privileges or user interaction. This unauthorized control can lead to significant impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system.

Such impacts on confidentiality and integrity could potentially lead to non-compliance with common standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require protection of sensitive data and system integrity. Unauthorized plugin management could enable data breaches or system manipulation, violating these regulatory requirements.

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