CVE-2026-45036: Tabby auto-confirms ZMODEM detection on terminal output, leading to shell command execution from displayed file content under fish, bash, and zsh

Published May 15, 2026
·
Updated

Tabby (formerly Terminus) is a highly configurable terminal emulator. Prior to 1.0.233, Tabby before 1.0.233 automatically confirms ZMODEM protocol detection on all terminal session output without user interaction, enabling shell command execution when a user displays attacker-controlled content. The ZModemMiddleware in tabby-terminal consumes all session output through a Zmodem.Sentry, and when a ZMODEM ZRQINIT header is detected, unconditionally calls detection.confirm() and writes a fixed ZRINIT response ( \x18B0100000023be50\r\n\x11) back into the active PTY as input. When the process that triggered the detection (e.g., cat) exits, the injected bytes are consumed by the user's shell as a command line. Under fish (default configuration), the prefix triggers recursive glob expansion against the current directory, allowing an attacker-placed executable at a matching nested path (e.g., d/xB0100000023be50) to be executed by relative pathname without relying on PATH. Under bash and zsh, a secondary xterm.js terminal color-query feedback (OSC 10) can be combined in the same file to inject a slash-containing command word that similarly bypasses PATH resolution. An attacker can exploit this by providing a crafted file (e.g., in a cloned Git repository) that a user displays with cat, achieving code execution with no interaction beyond viewing the file. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.0.233.

Affected Software

2 affected components
Tabby Tabby<1.0.233
Tabby Tabby<1.0.233

Event History

May 15, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·04:47 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·04:47 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·05:16 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-45036?

The severity of CVE-2026-45036 is considered to be critical due to its potential for arbitrary command execution.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-45036?

To fix CVE-2026-45036, upgrade Tabby to version 1.0.233 or later.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-45036?

CVE-2026-45036 affects all versions of Tabby prior to 1.0.233.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2026-45036?

The impact of CVE-2026-45036 includes the risk of executing arbitrary shell commands through terminal output.

5

Is CVE-2026-45036 a zero-day vulnerability?

No, CVE-2026-45036 is not classified as a zero-day vulnerability as a fix is available.

Contact

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