CVE-2026-65089: NVIDIA NemoClaw RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-65089 Overview

CVE-2026-65089 is an OS command injection vulnerability in NVIDIA NemoClaw for Linux. The flaw resides in the status and logs plugin commands, where untrusted input reaches an operating system shell without proper sanitization. A local authenticated attacker can inject shell metacharacters to execute arbitrary commands in the context of the vulnerable process.

Successful exploitation can lead to code execution, data tampering, information disclosure, and denial of service. The weakness is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command.

Critical Impact
A local attacker with low privileges can inject OS commands through NemoClaw plugin interfaces, achieving code execution, data tampering, information disclosure, and denial of service on affected Linux hosts.

Affected Products

NVIDIA NemoClaw for Linux (status plugin command path)
NVIDIA NemoClaw for Linux (logs plugin command path)
Specific fixed versions are listed in the NVIDIA product security advisory

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-25 - CVE-2026-65089 published to NVD
2026-08-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-65089

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-65089 is an OS command injection issue in NVIDIA NemoClaw for Linux. The vulnerable code paths handle status and logs plugin commands, which construct shell command strings from attacker-influenced input. Because special shell characters are not neutralized before command execution, an attacker can append or chain arbitrary commands.

The attack surface is local, meaning the attacker must already have some access to the host and hold low privileges. User interaction is not required. Exploitation produces high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, since the injected commands run in the same context as the NemoClaw plugin process.

This class of flaw is tracked as CWE-78 and is commonly introduced when developers pass user input to functions such as system(), popen(), or shell-invoking wrappers rather than using argument arrays and safe execution primitives.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of shell metacharacters in the status and logs plugin command handlers. Input reaches an OS command interpreter without allowlist validation, escaping, or use of a non-shell execution API. Attackers supply payloads containing characters such as ;, |, &, $(), or backticks to break out of the intended command structure.

Attack Vector

An authenticated local user invokes the status or logs plugin command with a crafted argument that embeds shell control characters. The plugin passes the argument into a shell, which parses the injected metacharacters and executes the attacker-supplied commands. The injected process inherits the privileges of the NemoClaw plugin runtime.

No verified proof-of-concept code is published for CVE-2026-65089. Refer to the NVIDIA product security repository entry 5872 for vendor-authoritative technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-65089

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by NemoClaw plugin binaries, especially shells such as /bin/sh, /bin/bash, or interpreters like python, perl, or awk.
Command-line arguments to NemoClaw plugin invocations containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &&, $(, backticks) or URL-encoded equivalents.
Outbound network connections initiated by NemoClaw or its descendants to unfamiliar hosts shortly after plugin command execution.
Modification or exfiltration of log files and status outputs correlated with plugin command activity.

Detection Strategies

Baseline the expected process tree for NemoClaw and alert on deviations, particularly shell or interpreter descendants.
Ingest audit and shell history logs and hunt for NemoClaw plugin invocations that include control characters or chained commands.
Correlate local process telemetry with file and network activity to identify post-exploitation behavior such as credential access or lateral movement.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Linux auditd rules on execve syscalls for NemoClaw binaries and its plugin directories.
Forward endpoint telemetry to a centralized data lake and retain command-line arguments for retrospective hunting.
Track file integrity of NemoClaw configuration, plugin, and log directories to detect tampering.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-65089

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the fixed NemoClaw version listed in the NVIDIA product security advisory as soon as it is available in your change window.
Restrict local access to hosts running NemoClaw to trusted administrators and remove unnecessary interactive accounts.
Audit recent invocations of the status and logs plugin commands for evidence of injected payloads.

Patch Information

NVIDIA publishes advisories and remediation guidance through its product security repository. Consult the NVIDIA advisory for CVE-2026-65089, the NVD entry, and the CVE.org record for fixed version numbers and update procedures.

Workarounds

Limit execution of NemoClaw plugin commands to a minimal set of trusted operators via filesystem permissions and sudo policies.
Disable or gate the status and logs plugin commands until the patched release is deployed, if operationally feasible.
Enforce mandatory access controls such as SELinux or AppArmor profiles that constrain what child processes NemoClaw may spawn.

bash

# Example: restrict execution of NemoClaw plugin binaries to a dedicated group
sudo chgrp nemoclaw-admins /path/to/nemoclaw/plugins/*
sudo chmod 750 /path/to/nemoclaw/plugins/*

# Example auditd rule to record plugin command execution
sudo auditctl -a always,exit -F arch=b64 -S execve \
  -F path=/path/to/nemoclaw/plugins/status -k nemoclaw_cmdinject
sudo auditctl -a always,exit -F arch=b64 -S execve \
  -F path=/path/to/nemoclaw/plugins/logs -k nemoclaw_cmdinject