CVE-2026-33641 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in Glances (pip), affecting versions <= 4.5.2. It is fixed in 4.5.3.
Summary Glances supports dynamic configuration values in which substrings enclosed in backticks are executed as system commands during configuration parsing. This behavior occurs in Config.getvalue() and is implemented without validation or restriction of the executed commands. If an attacker can modify or influence configuration files, arbitrary commands will execute automatically with the privileges of the Glances process during startup or configuration reload. In deployments where Glances runs with elevated privileges (e.g., as a system service), this may lead to privilege escalation. Details Glances loads configuration files from user, system, or custom paths during initialization. When retrieving a configuration value, Config.getvalue() scans for substrings enclosed in backticks. File: glances/config.py The extracted string is passed directly to system_exec(). File: glances/globals.py The command is executed and its output replaces the original configuration value. This execution occurs automatically whenever the configuration value is read. Affected Files glances/config.py, dynamic configuration parsing glances/globals.py, command execution helper Proof of Concept (PoC) Scenario: Arbitrary command execution via configuration value Step 1, Create malicious configuration file add below txt on the file Step 2, Launch Glances with custom configuration Step 3, Observe behavior When Glances reads the configuration: The command inside backticks is executed Output replaces the configuration value Execution occurs without user interaction Reproduce using Python code Output: uid=1000(user) gid=1000(user) groups=1000(user) Impact Arbitrary Command Execution Any command enclosed in backticks inside a configuration value will execute with the privileges of the Glances process. Potential Privilege Escalation If Glances runs as a privileged service (e.g., root), commands execute with those privileges. Possible scenarios include: Misconfigured file permissions allowing unauthorized config modification Shared systems where configuration directories are writable by multiple users Container environments with mounted configuration volumes Automated configuration management systems that ingest untrusted data
Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.
CVE-2026-33641 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment.
A fixed version is available (4.5.3). Upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
pip
Glances (<= 4.5.2)Glances → 4.5.3 (pip)Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter instead of chasing every advisory.
Kodem's Application Detection and Response identifies whether CVE-2026-33641 is reachable in your applications. Explore runtime application protection for your team.
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Already deployed Kodem? See CVE-2026-33641 in your environment →Upgrade Glances to 4.5.3 or later to resolve this vulnerability.
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CVE-2026-33641 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in Glances (pip), affecting versions <= 4.5.2. It is fixed in 4.5.3. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
CVE-2026-33641 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Glances (pip) versions <= 4.5.2 is affected.
Yes. CVE-2026-33641 is fixed in 4.5.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-33641 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
Upgrade Glances to 4.5.3 or later.