CVE-2026-76054: Black Duck API Token Disclosure Vulnerability

CVE-2026-76054 Overview

CVE-2026-76054 is an information disclosure vulnerability in Black Duck blackduck-c-cpp, the C/C++ scanning package distributed via PyPI. Versions 1.0.17 through 3.0.6 pass the Black Duck API token through the process environment, which is then inherited by subprocesses launched during build capture and signature scanning. Any actor able to execute code inside the scanned project's build can read the token from the ambient environment. The issue is tracked as CWE-214: Invocation of Process Using Visible Sensitive Information and only applies when the token is supplied through the BLACKDUCK_API_TOKEN or BD_HUB_TOKEN environment variables.

Critical Impact
A compromised or malicious build step can exfiltrate the Black Duck API token, granting attacker access to the Black Duck Hub and the software composition data it holds.

Affected Products

Black Duck blackduck-c-cpp version 1.0.17
Black Duck blackduck-c-cpp versions through 3.0.6
Distributed via the PyPI Black Duck C/C++ Package

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-24 - CVE-2026-76054 published to NVD
2026-08-24 - Last updated in NVD database
Vendor advisory: Black Duck Security Advisory CVE-2026-76054/55

Technical Details for CVE-2026-76054

Vulnerability Analysis

The blackduck-c-cpp tool orchestrates build capture and signature scanning for C and C++ projects. To authenticate against the Black Duck Hub, it accepts an API token through the BLACKDUCK_API_TOKEN or BD_HUB_TOKEN environment variables. The tool retains the token in the ambient process environment while it spawns build and scanner subprocesses. Every child process inherits that environment by default, which exposes the token to any code executing within the build.

The impact is scoped to the sensitivity of the token itself. A leaked Black Duck API token allows an attacker to query, modify, or retrieve software composition analysis results and project metadata from the Black Duck Hub tied to that token. Upgrading blackduck-c-cpp does not retroactively protect any token previously supplied through these variables. Operators must rotate tokens that were ever used with an affected version.

Root Cause

The root cause is the propagation of sensitive credentials via environment inheritance. The tool sets or reads BLACKDUCK_API_TOKEN or BD_HUB_TOKEN at process scope, and then calls out to build tools, compilers, and signature scanning subprocesses without stripping the variable from the child environment. Any subprocess in the build graph can call getenv or read /proc/self/environ to obtain the token.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local code execution inside the scanned project's build. This is a realistic threat model given typical build pipelines. A malicious Makefile target, a compromised third-party build dependency, a hostile compiler plugin, or a rogue post-install script in a package pulled during the build can all read the parent environment. The attacker exfiltrates the token to a remote endpoint and then uses it to authenticate against the Black Duck Hub.

No public proof-of-concept or exploit code is published for this issue. See the Black Duck Security Advisory CVE-2026-76054/55 for vendor technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-76054

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected outbound network connections from build agents to non-Black Duck destinations during or shortly after a blackduck-c-cpp scan.
Build subprocesses reading /proc/self/environ, /proc/<pid>/environ, or invoking env, printenv, or set during a scan.
Black Duck Hub audit logs showing API token use from unfamiliar source IPs, user agents, or at unusual times.
Presence of the BLACKDUCK_API_TOKEN or BD_HUB_TOKEN variable in CI job logs, artifact archives, or crash dumps.

Detection Strategies

Inventory all CI/CD pipelines and developer workstations that install blackduck-c-cpp versions 1.0.17 through 3.0.6 from PyPI.
Correlate Black Duck Hub API access logs against expected build agent IPs and service account behavior to spot anomalous token use.
Instrument build hosts to log process creation with full command line and environment size, then alert on child processes that access environment memory of unrelated parents.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward CI runner process, network, and file telemetry into a centralized data lake and retain long enough to investigate token misuse post-rotation.
Alert on any Black Duck Hub authentication event using a token that has been marked as rotated or decommissioned.
Monitor PyPI package installs on build infrastructure to catch unexpected blackduck-c-cpp version drift.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-76054

Immediate Actions Required

Rotate every Black Duck API token that was ever supplied through BLACKDUCK_API_TOKEN or BD_HUB_TOKEN on an affected version. Upgrading alone does not remediate prior exposure.
Upgrade blackduck-c-cpp to a fixed version per the Black Duck Security Advisory CVE-2026-76054/55.
Review Black Duck Hub audit logs for suspicious API activity dating back to first use of an affected version.
Restrict the scope and lifetime of Black Duck API tokens issued to CI/CD systems, and bind them to dedicated service identities.

Patch Information

Black Duck has published a product security advisory covering CVE-2026-76054 and CVE-2026-76055. Refer to the vendor advisory for the fixed release version and upgrade instructions, and to the PyPI Black Duck C/C++ Package page for the current release.

Workarounds

Supply the API token through a configuration file or command-line argument mechanism instead of environment variables, where the tool supports it. Confirm behavior with the vendor advisory before relying on this.
Run blackduck-c-cpp scans in isolated, ephemeral build environments so that a leaked token cannot outlive the job.
Segment CI/CD build runners on the network and restrict egress to only the endpoints required for scanning and artifact publication.
Treat every token supplied to an affected version as compromised and rotate on a routine schedule going forward.