Progress Kemp LoadMaster Flaw Hits CISA KEV After 792 Reported Exploit Attempts
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-8037 | Unauthenticated OS Command Injection RCE in Progress Kemp LoadMaster Progress Kemp LoadMaster, the application delivery controller/load balancer sold by Progress Software (formerly Kemp), contains an unauthenticated OS command injection flaw (CWE-77) in its API: unsanitized input sent to multiple command endpoints allows arbitrary operating-system commands to be executed on the appliance. Because the affected endpoints require no authentication, any remote attacker with network access to the appliance's API or management interface can trigger the bug directly; public research by WatchTowr describes it as a pre-authentication RCE chain (involving uninitialized memory/quote handling) that can yield root-level command execution. Successful exploitation gives an attacker full control of the appliance, consistent with the Critical 9.8 CVSS 3.1 score (network-exploitable, no privileges or user interaction, high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability). Organizations running Progress Kemp LoadMaster appliances are affected, especially those where the management or API interface is reachable from the internet. Exploitation is confirmed and ongoing: CISA added the flaw to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-08-07 after 792 reported exploit attempts, and EPSS assigns a 99.6% probability of exploitation within 30 days. Do: Upgrade LoadMaster to the fixed release identified in Progress's security advisory (fixed version numbers are not specified in this data). Until patched, restrict the LoadMaster API/management interface to trusted networks or VPN access, and review appliance logs for signs of unexpected command execution given confirmed in-the-wild exploitation. Because the flaw is on CISA's KEV catalog, US federal agencies must apply mitigations per BOD 26-04 by the required deadline — or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable — and evaluate each asset's internet exposure. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV PoC |
| largetens of thousands of internet-exposed LoadMaster appliances (order of magnitude: 10,000–100,000 devices) |
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Ravie LakshmananAug 08, 2026Vulnerability / Network Security
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Friday added a critical-severity security flaw impacting Progress Kemp LoadMaster to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, following reports of active exploitation in the wild.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-8037 (CVSS score: 9.6), is a command injection flaw that could be weaponized to achieve arbitrary code execution on susceptible devices.
"Progress LoadMaster contains a command injection vulnerability that allows an un-authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the LoadMaster appliance by exploiting unsanitized input in multiple command endpoints," CISA said.
In an analysis published in June 2026, watchTowr Labs described the issue as present in a function named "escape_quotes()" within the load balancer application and that it stemmed from improper handling of user-supplied input, ultimately enabling command injection.
Successful exploitation of the flaw can allow an unauthenticated attacker to run arbitrary commands on the affected appliance without having to possess valid credentials.
The addition comes a little over a month after eSentire said it's seeing active exploitation efforts targeting the flaw, although it noted those efforts were largely unsuccessful.
The attacks originated from the following IP addresses, per the Canadian security vendor -
- 192.42.116[.]58
- 192.42.116[.]105
- 146.70.139[.]154
According to telemetry data captured by KEVIntel, a total of 792 exploitation attempts have been observed over the last 41 days from 65 unique IP addresses from 18 countries, including Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Poland, and the U.S. The last activity was recorded on August 4, 2026, when five exploitation attempts were detected.
In light of active exploitation, Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies are recommended to apply the necessary patches by August 10, 2026, to secure their networks in accordance with Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04.
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