CVE-2020-5242: openHAB exec add-ons allow remote arbitrary command execution

Severity: high (CVSS 8.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.0% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2020-02-20 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-284

Description

openHAB before 2.5.2 allow a remote attacker to use REST calls to install the EXEC binding or EXEC transformation service and execute arbitrary commands on the system with the privileges of the user running openHAB. Starting with version 2.5.2 all commands need to be whitelisted in a local file which cannot be changed via REST calls.

Affected products

openhab-webui: before 2.5.2 — fixed in 2.5.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: openhab-webui 2.5.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://github.com/openhab/openhab-addons/commit/4c4cb664f2e2c3866aadf117d22fb54aa8dd0031
https://github.com/openhab/openhab-addons/security/advisories/GHSA-w698-693g-23hv
https://github.com/openhab/openhab-addons/commit/4c4cb664f2e2c3866aadf117d22fb54aa8dd0031
https://github.com/openhab/openhab-addons/security/advisories/GHSA-w698-693g-23hv

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