CVE-2026-10520: Ivanti Sentry OS Command Injection — Detection and Remediation

Introduction

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added CVE-2026-10520 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. This vulnerability affects Ivanti Sentry (formerly MobileIron Sentry), a critical component in enterprise Mobile Device Management (MDM) infrastructures.

The flaw is an OS Command Injection vulnerability, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. Given the privileged position of MDM gateways within the network, successful exploitation serves as a prime pivot point for lateral movement and data exfiltration. Under Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04, federal agencies have a strict deadline to remediate, but this threat poses an equal, if not greater, risk to private sector organizations managing mobile fleets.

Technical Analysis

Affected Products

• Vendor: Ivanti
• Product: Sentry
• Vulnerability Type: OS Command Injection (CWE-78)

Vulnerability Mechanics

CVE-2026-10520 exists due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input within a specific web interface component of the Ivanti Sentry appliance. By sending a specially crafted HTTP request to a targeted endpoint, an attacker can inject operating system commands.

Attack Chain:

1. Initial Access: Attacker sends HTTP POST/GET requests to the vulnerable Ivanti Sentry endpoint (typically TCP 443 or 8443).
2. Exploitation: Malicious payload breaks out of the application context (usually Java/Tomcat) and executes at the OS level.
3. Execution: The appliance executes the command (e.g., bash -c ...) with the privileges of the running service (often root or a high-privilege user).
4. Objective: Attackers often deploy reverse shells or webshells to establish persistence, download additional tools (curl/wget), or dump credentials from the device configuration.

Exploitation Status

• KEV Catalog: Yes (Added June 11, 2026)
• Active Exploitation: Confirmed by CISA
• Rarity: Command Injection in internet-facing management interfaces is a high-value target for initial access brokers.

Detection & Response

Due to the active exploitation status, SOC teams must assume compromise if unpatched instances are exposed to the internet. Detection relies heavily on identifying anomalous process lineage originating from the Ivanti Sentry services.

Sigma Rules

The following rules target the behavioral indicators of successful command injection: the web service spawning a shell or network utility.

---
title: Potential Shell Spawned by Ivanti Sentry Java Process
id: c0c21a8b-9d2e-4f5a-8b9c-1d2e3f4a5b6c
status: experimental
description: Detects OS command injection on Ivanti Sentry by identifying shell processes spawned by the parent Java/Tomcat service.
references:
  - https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2026/06/11/cisa-adds-one-known-exploited-vulnerability-catalog
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/06/11
tags:
  - attack.execution
  - attack.t1059.004
  - cve.2026.10520
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: linux
detection:
  selection:
    ParentImage|endswith: '/java'
    ParentCommandLine|contains:
      - 'sentry'
      - 'mobileiron'
    Image|endswith:
      - '/sh'
      - '/bash'
      - '/dash'
      - '/zsh'
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate administrative debugging (rare)
level: critical
---
title: Ivanti Sentry Spawning Network Utilities (C2 Beacon)
id: a1b2c3d4-e5f6-4a5b-8c9d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects post-exploitation activity where Ivanti Sentry spawns curl or wget, common for C2 callbacks or downloading payloads.
references:
  - https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2026/06/11/cisa-adds-one-known-exploited-vulnerability-catalog
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/06/11
tags:
  - attack.command_and_control
  - attack.t1071.001
  - cve.2026.10520
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: linux
detection:
  selection:
    ParentImage|endswith: '/java'
    ParentCommandLine|contains:
      - 'sentry'
    Image|endswith:
      - '/curl'
      - '/wget'
      - '/python'
      - '/perl'
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Official update checks (verify parent user)
level: high

KQL (Microsoft Sentinel / Defender)

Use this query to hunt for suspicious process creation logs ingested via Syslog or the DeviceProcessEvents table if you have EDR coverage on the Linux appliance.

// Hunt for Ivanti Sentry exploitation indicators
DeviceProcessEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(7d)
| where InitiatingProcessFileName =~ "java"
| where InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any ("sentry", "mobileiron")
| where FileName in~ ("sh", "bash", "dash", "curl", "wget", "nc", "python")
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, AccountName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, FileName, ProcessCommandLine
| order by Timestamp desc

Velociraptor VQL

This artifact hunts for the specific parent-child process relationship indicative of a command injection on the endpoint.

-- Hunt for suspicious processes spawned by Ivanti Sentry Java parent
SELECT Pid, Name, CommandLine, Exe, Username, CreateTime, Parent.Pid AS ParentPid, Parent.Name AS ParentName, Parent.CommandLine AS ParentCmd
FROM pslist()
WHERE Parent.Name =~ "java"
  AND Parent.Cmd =~ "(?i)sentry"
  AND Name IN ("sh", "bash", "dash", "curl", "wget", "python", "perl")

Remediation Script (Bash)

Run this script on your Ivanti Sentry appliances to check for immediate indicators of compromise (IOCs) and verify the patch status. Note: This requires root privileges.

#!/bin/bash

# Ivanti Sentry CVE-2026-10520 Response Script
# Run as root

echo "[*] Checking for suspicious processes..."
# Look for shells or curl spawned by Java
PARENT_PIDS=$(pgrep -f "java.*sentry")
if [ -n "$PARENT_PIDS" ]; then
  for pid in $PARENT_PIDS; do
    SUSPICIOUS=$(pstree -p $pid | grep -E "(sh|bash|curl|wget|python)")
    if [ -n "$SUSPICIOUS" ]; then
      echo "[!] ALERT: Suspicious child process found under PID $pid:"
      echo "$SUSPICIOUS"
    fi
  done
else
  echo "[INFO] No Ivanti Sentry Java process found."
fi

echo "[*] Checking for recent cron jobs (Persistence)..."
# List recent cron jobs modified in the last 24 hours
find /etc/cron.* -type f -mtime -1 -ls 2>/dev/null

echo "[*] Verifying installed package version..."
# Check for the package (assuming rpm/deb based install, adjust as needed)
if command -v rpm &> /dev/null; then
  rpm -qa | grep -i "sentry"
elif command -v dpkg &> /dev/null; then
  dpkg -l | grep -i "sentry"
fi

echo "[*] Reviewing recent auth.log for anomalies..."
grep "pam_unix\|sshd\|failure" /var/log/auth.log | tail -n 50

echo "[DONE] Review findings above."

Remediation

1. Patch Immediately: Ivanti has released security updates to address CVE-2026-10520. Apply the vendor-provided patch specific to your version immediately. Do not wait for standard maintenance windows.
2. Check Vendor Advisory: Review the official Ivantt Security Advisory for CVE-2026-10520 for specific build numbers that resolve the issue.
3. Internet Isolation: If patching is delayed, block all inbound internet traffic to the Ivanti Sentry management interface (ports TCP 80, 443, 8443) from untrusted networks. Utilize VPNs with MFA for administrative access.
4. Credential Rotation: If exploitation is suspected or confirmed, assume all credentials stored on or accessible by the Sentry appliance (including Active Directory service accounts if integrated) are compromised. Rotate them immediately.
5. Threat Hunt: Use the detection rules above to scan historical logs for evidence of compromise dating back at least 30 days.

Related Resources

Security Arsenal Penetration Testing Services AlertMonitor Platform Book a SOC Assessment vulnerability-management Intel Hub