--- title: How We Could Have Backdoored Bash (Hacktron blog) description: Security researchers found a remote code execution flaw in the GNU Savannah forge that could have let attackers push malware into any hosted project, including... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/how-we-could-have-backdoored-bash-hacktron-blog--dxbwcbkcu twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: How We Could Have Backdoored Bash (Hacktron blog) | daily.dev og:description: Security researchers found a remote code execution flaw in the GNU Savannah forge that could have let attackers push malware into any hosted project, including... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/how-we-could-have-backdoored-bash-hacktron-blog--dxbwcbkcu og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/dXbwcBKCu.png og:image:alt: How We Could Have Backdoored Bash (Hacktron blog) og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How We Could Have Backdoored Bash (Hacktron blog) **[LWN.net](https://daily.dev/sources/lwn)** · 1 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Security researchers found a remote code execution flaw in the GNU Savannah forge that could have let attackers push malware into any hosted project, including Bash. A crafted email address, such as one containing `touch${IFS}/tmp/savane-rce-proof`@attacker.example, gave any registered user code execution on the backend. From there the researchers escalated their account to superuser, impersonated Bash's maintainer, and confirmed they could add an SSH key with push access to the upstream Bash repository. An unpatched kernel also gave them root access and reach into a GNU backup server. The issue was reported to the FSF on May 11, 2026. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How did attackers get remote code execution on the GNU Savannah forge? A crafted email address containing shell metacharacters, such as one embedding `touch${IFS}/tmp/savane-rce-proof`@attacker.example, gave any registered user code execution on the Savannah backend. From there, researchers escalated their account to superuser, impersonated Bash's maintainer, and confirmed they could push an SSH key with write access to the upstream Bash repository. An unpatched kernel also gave root access to a GNU backup server. _Developers tracking supply chain risks in core tooling like Bash can follow disclosures like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Trojaned OpenSSH](https://daily.dev/posts/trojaned-openssh-1b563evx6) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I Found Root Access on Critical Financial Infrastructure Using a Two-Day-Old Kernel Exploit](https://daily.dev/posts/i-found-root-access-on-critical-financial-infrastructure-using-a-two-day-old-kernel-exploit-ymu1rmoi7) · InfoSec Write-ups · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [HTB: CodeTwo](https://daily.dev/posts/htb-codetwo-klj991bhn) · 0xdf hacks stuff · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Securing the git push pipeline: Responding to a critical remote code execution vulnerability](https://daily.dev/posts/securing-the-git-push-pipeline-responding-to-a-critical-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-l4isyrjtr) · GitHub Blog · 3 upvotes · 1 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#bash](https://daily.dev/tags/bash) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/how-we-could-have-backdoored-bash-hacktron-blog--dxbwcbkcu) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"How We Could Have Backdoored Bash (Hacktron blog)","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-we-could-have-backdoored-bash-hacktron-blog--dxbwcbkcu","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-we-could-have-backdoored-bash-hacktron-blog--dxbwcbkcu"},"datePublished":"2026-10-31T14:02:36.819Z","dateModified":"2026-10-31T14:02:56.638Z","description":"Security researchers found a remote code execution flaw in the GNU Savannah forge that could have let attackers push malware into any hosted project, including...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--P4t4XyoV--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2001","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--P4t4XyoV--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2001","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"LWN.net","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"LWN.net","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--4jjE7GIK--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774960833/logos/lwn?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/lwn"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-we-could-have-backdoored-bash-hacktron-blog--dxbwcbkcu","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"security,bash","timeRequired":"PT1M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"LWN.net","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/lwn"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How We Could Have Backdoored Bash (Hacktron blog)"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-we-could-have-backdoored-bash-hacktron-blog--dxbwcbkcu#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How did attackers get remote code execution on the GNU Savannah forge?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A crafted email address containing shell metacharacters, such as one embedding `touch${IFS}/tmp/savane-rce-proof`@attacker.example, gave any registered user code execution on the Savannah backend. From there, researchers escalated their account to superuser, impersonated Bash's maintainer, and confirmed they could push an SSH key with write access to the upstream Bash repository. An unpatched kernel also gave root access to a GNU backup server. Developers tracking supply chain risks in core tooling like Bash can follow disclosures like this on daily.dev."}}]} ```