CVE-2026-26201
Summary
Multiple shared maps are accessed without consistent synchronization across goroutines. Under concurrent activity, Go runtime can trigger fatal error: concurrent map read and map write, causing C2 process crash (availability loss).
Vulnerable Component(with code examples)
Operator relay map had mixed access patterns (iteration and mutation without a single lock policy):
// vulnerable pattern (operator session map)
for sessionID, op := range OPERATORS { // iteration path
...
}
// concurrent mutation path elsewhere
OPERATORS[operatorSession] = &operator_t{...}
delete(OPERATORS, operatorSession)Port-forwarding session map had read/write paths guarded inconsistently:
// vulnerable pattern (port forward map)
if sess, ok := PortFwds[id]; ok { // read path
...
}
PortFwds[id] = newSession // write path
delete(PortFwds, id) // delete pathFTP stream map similarly mixed concurrent iteration with mutation:
// vulnerable pattern (FTP stream map)
for token, stream := range FTPStreams { // iteration path
...
}
FTPStreams[token] = stream // write path
delete(FTPStreams, token) // delete pathAttack Vector
- Attacker (or stress traffic in authenticated flows) triggers high concurrency in normal control paths.
- Operator sessions connect/disconnect while message forwarding and file-transfer workflows are active.
- Concurrent read/write hits shared maps.
- Go runtime panics with concurrent map read/write error.
- C2 component exits, producing denial of service.
Proof of Concept
- Start C2 server with active operator session(s) in a lab environment.
- Generate rapid operator session churn (connect/disconnect loops).
- Simultaneously drive agent message tunnel traffic and/or file transfer activity.
- Observe crash signature in logs:
fatal error: concurrent map read and map write. - Optional: run with race detector in dev build to confirm race locations.
Impact
- C2 service interruption due to process panic/crash.
- Operational instability under load or deliberate churn.
- Repeated crash-restart cycles can degrade command reliability and incident response workflows.
Package Versions Affected
Automatically patch vulnerabilities without upgrading
CVSS Version



Related Resources
References
https://github.com/jm33-m0/emp3r0r/security/advisories/GHSA-f5p9-j34q-pwcc, https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-26201, https://github.com/jm33-m0/emp3r0r/commit/ea4d074f081dac6293f3aec38f01def5f08d5af5, https://github.com/jm33-m0/emp3r0r, https://github.com/jm33-m0/emp3r0r/releases/tag/v3.21.2
