HashiCorp Vault: Arbitrary code execution via plugin catalog entries restored from snapshots
Summary
Vault and Vault Enterprise do not consistently verify that stored plugin catalog entries point to binaries inside the configured plugin directory. In clusters with Shamir seals and an external plugin directory, a privileged operator who can restore an Integrated Storage (Raft) snapshot may be able to execute arbitrary code as the Vault service user on the Vault host. Clusters with auto-unseal or without a configured plugin directory are not affected.
Affected
- HashiCorp Vault Community Edition up to 2.1.1
- HashiCorp Vault Enterprise up to 2.1.1 (exact ranges for the 1.19, 1.20 and 1.21 branches are not confirmed by the vendor in the sources reviewed)
- Only Shamir-sealed clusters with an external plugin directory configured are affected
Fixed in
- Vault Community Edition 2.1.2
- Vault Enterprise 2.1.2, 1.21.12, 1.20.17 and 1.19.23
Workaround
- No official vendor workaround beyond patching.
- Clusters using auto-unseal or without a configured plugin directory are not affected.
- Limit snapshot-restore rights to very few trusted operators and review who holds them.
- Keep external plugins inside the plugin directory and review the plugin catalog after any restore.
Exploitation
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, not automatable, total technical impact.
- Not marked as known exploited in the sources checked.
- No public proof of concept found.
Our recommendation
- Check whether any Vault instance uses Shamir seals with a plugin_directory set.
- Inventory Vault versions on all nodes, including standbys and Enterprise performance and DR secondaries.
- Upgrade every node to the fixed version for your branch. Re-register any plugins that are refused after the upgrade, with binaries inside the plugin directory.
- Review who can restore snapshots and audit the plugin catalog.
- Monitor the HashiCorp bulletin HCSEC-2026-41 and the NVD entry for updates.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- HashiCorp HCSEC-2026-41 bulletin discuss.hashicorp.com
- IBM Security Bulletin www.ibm.com
- OSV record CVE-2026-105816 osv.dev
- OpenCVE CVE record app.opencve.io
- HCSEC remediation mirror cve.imfht.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 21:31.
Original description (NVD)
Vault and Vault Enterprise did not consistently verify that stored plugin catalog entries reference binaries within the configured plugin directory. When Vault uses Shamir seals and has an external plugin directory configured, a privileged operator able to restore an Integrated Storage (Raft) snapshot may be able to execute arbitrary code on the Vault host. This vulnerability (CVE-2026-105816) is fixed in Vault Community Edition 2.1.2, and Vault Enterprise 2.1.2, 1.21.12, 1.20.17, and 1.19.23.
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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