External risk intelligence

Dokku docker-options Plugin Command Injection Vulnerability.

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.0)

CVE-2026-86002

This vulnerability requires a user to already possess app-level Dokku access and remote SSH access to execute specific administrative commands. While the platform itself may be network-accessible, the exploitation requires authenticated, privileged access to the management layer, making public internet exposure of this specific attack vector uncommon.

Halo Surface Signal: 2 out of 5 — less likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

This advisory concerns a critical vulnerability in the Dokku platform-as-a-service that could allow unauthorized command execution on the host system. The issue arises from improper handling of user-supplied input within a specific plugin, enabling an authenticated attacker with SSH access to potentially compromise the underlying infrastructure.

Malicious commands can run on the server.
Confirms unauthorized code execution risk.
Assess Dokku system relevance and exposure.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker could start by gaining app-level access within Dokku and then using SSH to execute specific Docker commands. By manipulating these commands through the docker-options plugin, an attacker can inject malicious code. This code, when processed during build, deploy, or run operations, can lead to arbitrary command execution on the host system with the privileges of the Dokku user.

Requires app-level Dokku and SSH access.
User stores arbitrary strings via docker-options.
Arbitrary command execution on host.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

A user with app-level Dokku access and SSH capabilities could execute arbitrary commands on the host system with the privileges of the `dokku` user. This could occur when stored strings are concatenated into `DOCKER_ARGS` and processed by Bash `eval` during build, deploy, or run operations. The vulnerability specifically involves shell command substitutions being interpreted on the host when supported by the advisory.

Host system commands and `dokku` user privileges.
Arbitrary string storage processed by `eval`.
Potential for unauthorized command execution.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

Addressing this vulnerability requires coordination between the platform team managing Dokku and application owners who utilize the platform. The first practical step is to identify all instances of Dokku, determine their reachability and business criticality, and then confirm the accountable owner for each instance to plan remediation.

Confirm Dokku instance ownership.
Verify app-level access and SSH reachability.
Plan targeted remediation or risk reduction.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

Halo Threat Intelligence helps prioritize remediation with Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context. Start exposure validation with a free external attack surface trial.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Dokku?

Dokku is a self-hosted Platform as a Service (PaaS) built on Docker. It allows developers to deploy and manage applications on their own infrastructure by mimicking the workflow of cloud-based platforms. It uses a plugin-based architecture, like the docker-options plugin, to manage how containers are built, deployed, and executed on the host server.

What does CVE-2026-86002 mean for system security?

This vulnerability is classified as Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code (CWE-95). It occurs because the system takes user-supplied configuration strings and processes them using a Bash 'eval' command. If an attacker injects shell commands into these configuration strings, the system will execute those commands as if they were legitimate instructions, leading to unauthorized code execution on the host.

How is this command injection triggered?

An attacker triggers this by using the docker-options plugin to store malicious strings while possessing app-level Dokku access and remote SSH capabilities. The flaw does not trigger during standard application usage by non-privileged users; it specifically requires the attacker to influence the DOCKER_ARGS variable, which the system later interprets as live shell commands during build, deploy, or run operations.

Is my Dokku instance at risk?

According to Halo Surface Signal, this vulnerability is unlikely to be triggered from the public internet alone because it requires prior authenticated, privileged access to the management layer. You should prioritize assessment if your Dokku environment allows users or automated systems to perform administrative SSH operations or modify docker-options configurations.

How do I respond to this vulnerability?

The primary step is to upgrade your Dokku installation to version 0.38.25 or later, which contains the fix for this input processing flaw. Before updating, identify all Dokku instances in your infrastructure, verify who has administrative SSH and app-level access, and coordinate with the relevant application owners to apply the patched version to your servers.

References

Written by Nicholas Merritt

Nicholas Merritt is VP of Security Solutions at Halo Security. With more than 25 years across application security, vulnerability prioritization, and offensive security, he helps teams translate threat data into practical exposure validation and remediation focus. He authors Halo Threat Intelligence CVE advisories using Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context to prioritize internet-facing risk.