Detect BerriAI LiteLLM Command Injection (CVE-2026-42271) in Elastic Security
Detects exploitation of CVE-2026-42271, a command injection vulnerability in BerriAI LiteLLM. An attacker who can reach the LiteLLM API or admin interface may inject OS commands that execute under the LiteLLM process context, leading to remote code execution. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-78 (OS Command Injection) and CWE-77 (Command Injection) and is listed as actively exploited in CISA KEV.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Execution Persistence Lateral Movement
Elastic Detection Query
sequence by host.name with maxspan=30s
[network where network.direction == "inbound"
and destination.port in (4000, 8000, 8080)
and network.transport == "tcp"]
[process where event.type == "start"
and process.parent.name in ("python", "python3", "uvicorn", "gunicorn")
and process.name in ("sh", "bash", "dash", "zsh", "cmd.exe", "powershell.exe", "python", "python3", "wget", "curl", "nc", "ncat")
and (
process.command_line like~ "*;*"
or process.command_line like~ "*&&*"
or process.command_line like~ "*||*"
or process.command_line like~ "*`*"
or process.command_line like~ "*$(*"
or process.command_line like~ "*|*"
)
]EQL sequence detecting an inbound network connection to common LiteLLM ports followed within 30 seconds by a suspicious child process spawned from a Python/uvicorn parent, characteristic of CVE-2026-42271 exploitation.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate administrative shell commands executed by operators via the LiteLLM management interface
- Automated health check scripts that spawn short-lived processes from the LiteLLM host
- Development environments where LiteLLM is tested with shell-based tooling
Other platforms for CVE-2026-42271
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1LiteLLM API Command Injection via Model Parameter
Expected signal: Process creation event showing sh or bash child process under the uvicorn/gunicorn parent with command line containing the injected id command
- Test 2LiteLLM Out-of-Band Command Injection with Reverse Shell Attempt
Expected signal: Network connection event showing outbound TCP to 127.0.0.1:9999 from the LiteLLM process, plus a bash process with -i flag spawned from the Python parent
- Test 3LiteLLM Config Endpoint Command Injection via Backtick Substitution
Expected signal: Process creation event with backtick command substitution syntax in command line, spawned from the LiteLLM Python process
- Test 4Post-Exploitation Credential Harvesting via LiteLLM Injection
Expected signal: Process creation event showing cat and tr commands spawned from LiteLLM parent, with file write event to /tmp/cve42271_env.txt
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2026-42271 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.