CVE-2026-2178 – This CVE describes a command injection vulnerab... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2026-2178?

CVE-2026-2178 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a command injection vulnerability in r-huijts xcode-mcp-server that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems. The vulnerability exists in the registerXcodeTools function where user-controlled arguments are improperly sanitized before being passed to system commands. Anyone running vulnerable versions of this software is potentially affected.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a command injection vulnerability in r-huijts xcode-mcp-server that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems. The vulnerability exists in the registerXcodeTools function where user-controlled arguments are improperly sanitized before being passed to system commands. Anyone running vulnerable versions of this software is potentially affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

r-huijts xcode-mcp-server

Versions: All versions up to commit f3419f00117aa9949e326f78cc940166c88f18cb

Operating Systems: Any OS running the vulnerable software

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: This product uses rolling releases, so specific version numbers are not available. All instances before the patch commit are vulnerable.

📦 What is this software?

Xcode Mcp Server by R Huijts

View all CVEs affecting Xcode Mcp Server →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or deployment of persistent backdoors.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized command execution allowing privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact through proper input validation and command sanitization, potentially preventing successful exploitation.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

The exploit has been made public and could be used. Remote exploitation is possible without authentication.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Commit 11f8d6bacadd153beee649f92a78a9dad761f56f

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/r-huijts/xcode-mcp-server/issues/13

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Pull the latest code from the repository. 2. Verify the patch commit 11f8d6bacadd153beee649f92a78a9dad761f56f is included. 3. Rebuild and redeploy the application. 4. Restart the service.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Input Validation and Sanitization

all

Implement strict input validation for the args parameter in registerXcodeTools function

Manual code review and modification of src/tools/xcode/index.ts

Network Segmentation

linux

Restrict network access to the xcode-mcp-server service

firewall-cmd --permanent --add-rich-rule='rule family="ipv4" source address="TRUSTED_IP_RANGE" port protocol="tcp" port="SERVICE_PORT" accept'
firewall-cmd --reload

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network access controls to limit exposure
Monitor for suspicious command execution patterns and implement application-level logging

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if your current commit is before f3419f00117aa9949e326f78cc940166c88f18cb: git log --oneline | head -1

Check Version:

git log --oneline | head -1

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify the patch commit 11f8d6bacadd153beee649f92a78a9dad761f56f is present: git log --oneline | grep 11f8d6bacadd153beee649f92a78a9dad761f56f

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual command execution patterns
Suspicious arguments passed to registerXcodeTools function
Unexpected process spawns from xcode-mcp-server

Network Indicators:

Unexpected outbound connections from the server
Command and control traffic patterns

SIEM Query:

process.name:"xcode-mcp-server" AND (cmdline:*"|"* OR cmdline:*"$"* OR cmdline:*"&"* OR cmdline:*";"*)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2026-2178

CVSS v3 Score: 6.3 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

CWE: CWE-74

EPSS Score: 1.23% exploit probability (78.8th percentile)

Published: February 8, 2026

Last Updated: March 5, 2026

🔗 References

https://github.com/r-huijts/xcode-mcp-server/ Product
https://github.com/r-huijts/xcode-mcp-server/commit/11f8d6bacadd153beee649f92a78a9dad761f56f Patch
https://github.com/r-huijts/xcode-mcp-server/issues/13 Exploit
https://github.com/r-huijts/xcode-mcp-server/issues/13#issue-3878065790 Exploit
https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.344881 Permissions Required,VDB Entry
https://vuldb.com/?id.344881 Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://vuldb.com/?submit.749569 Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry

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