Ivanti released a security advisory on 9 June 2026 for two critical vulnerabilities in Ivanti Sentry, an in-line gateway that secures traffic between mobile devices and back-end enterprise systems such as Microsoft Exchange. The more severe flaw, CVE-2026-10520, is an OS command injection vulnerability with the maximum possible CVSS score of 10.0, allowing a remote unauthenticated attacker to achieve root-level remote code execution. CERT-EU published an advisory on 10 June 2026 urging organisations to update to fixed versions, and security research firm watchTowr Labs published a detailed technical writeup the same day, including a working reproduction of the exploit and a free detection tool.
Ivanti Sentry, formerly known as MobileIron Sentry, sits at the network edge and manages, encrypts and secures traffic between mobile device fleets and internal enterprise resources, working alongside Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) to enforce device level access decisions. On 9 June 2026, Ivanti published a security advisory addressing two flaws affecting Sentry versions 10.5.1 and earlier, 10.6.1 and earlier, and 10.7.0 and earlier. CERT-EU, the Computer Emergency Response Team for the European Union institutions, issued its own advisory the following day, recommending that organisations update to the fixed versions, R10.5.2, R10.6.2 and R10.7.1.
| CVE identifier | CVSS v3.1 score | Vulnerability type | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-10520 | 10.0 (Critical) | OS command injection (CWE-78) | Unauthenticated attacker achieves root-level remote code execution |
| CVE-2026-10523 | 9.9 (Critical) | Authentication bypass (CWE-288) | Unauthenticated attacker creates arbitrary administrative accounts and gains full admin access |
Table 1. The two critical Ivanti Sentry vulnerabilities disclosed on 9 June 2026, both affecting versions 10.5.1, 10.6.1 and 10.7.0 and earlier, fixed in R10.5.2, R10.6.2 and R10.7.1. Source: CERT-EU Security Advisory 2026-008, 10 June 2026.
What the source data shows
Both vulnerabilities carry CVSS scores in the critical range, but CVE-2026-10520 reaches the maximum possible score of 10.0, the highest rating the scoring system allows. The chart below sets the two scores side by side.
Figure 1. CVE-2026-10520 reaches the maximum possible CVSS score of 10.0, while the companion authentication bypass flaw, CVE-2026-10523, scores 9.9. Both fall within the critical severity band. Source: CERT-EU Security Advisory 2026-008, 10 June 2026.
According to the technical analysis published by watchTowr Labs on 10 June 2026, CVE-2026-10520 stems from an API endpoint that accepts a user-supplied configuration message without properly restricting what that message can contain. The message is parsed into a command and routed to a backend method that ultimately invokes native operating system commands. Ivanti’s fix replaces the user-controlled input with a hardcoded, benign command and adds web server level access controls that block unauthenticated requests to the affected endpoint, redirecting them to the login page instead.
An unauthenticated attacker who can reach an exposed Ivanti Sentry instance can use CVE-2026-10520 to run operating system commands with root privileges, without needing any valid credentials. watchTowr Labs reproduced this by sending a single crafted request to the affected endpoint and receiving back the output of an operating system command, confirming the vulnerability is straightforward to exploit once the underlying mechanism is understood.
Why it matters
Ivanti Sentry typically sits between corporate mobile device fleets and sensitive backend systems such as Microsoft Exchange, meaning a compromise of the appliance can provide a direct path into internal infrastructure. Because Sentry operates at the network edge and brokers access for mobile devices, an attacker with root access to the appliance is positioned to intercept or manipulate traffic flowing to and from those backend systems, not just compromise the appliance itself.
This disclosure also fits a pattern that CISA and the FBI have previously flagged. In a Secure by Design Alert on eliminating OS command injection vulnerabilities, the agencies noted that this class of flaw has repeatedly been exploited in well publicised campaigns against network edge devices, allowing unauthenticated attackers to remotely execute code. CVE-2026-10520 is the latest example of an OS command injection flaw rated at the top of the CVSS scale affecting an internet facing enterprise appliance.
Risks, limitations and caveats
As of the CERT-EU advisory on 10 June 2026, vulnerability tracking sources indicated no confirmed reports of active exploitation and no entry in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for CVE-2026-10520. However, watchTowr Labs has now published a detailed technical breakdown of the vulnerability, including the vulnerable code path and a working request that reproduces the exploit, along with a public detection tool on GitHub. The combination of a maximum severity score, a published proof of concept, and a tool that makes vulnerable instances easy to identify significantly increases the likelihood of opportunistic scanning and exploitation attempts in the days following disclosure, even though no such activity had been confirmed at the time the advisories were published.
Recommended actions
Organisations running Ivanti Sentry should treat this as an emergency patching priority and update affected appliances to R10.5.2, R10.6.2 or R10.7.1 as appropriate for their current version, following Ivanti’s published guidance. Security teams should also review access logs for requests to the affected configuration endpoint for signs of attempted exploitation prior to patching, and should use available detection tooling to confirm whether internet facing Sentry instances were running vulnerable versions.
For organisations unable to patch immediately, restricting network access to Ivanti Sentry management interfaces from the public internet reduces exposure, though this does not replace applying the vendor’s fix. Given that Sentry brokers access to systems such as Exchange ActiveSync, incident response teams should also consider whether any unusual authentication or mobile device enrollment activity occurred on connected systems since the vulnerable versions were in use, mapping any findings to relevant incident response procedures under frameworks such as NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework.
Conclusion
The disclosure of CVE-2026-10520 and CVE-2026-10523 on 9 and 10 June 2026 adds another maximum severity, unauthenticated remote code execution flaw to the list of critical vulnerabilities affecting internet facing enterprise edge appliances in 2026. With patches already available and technical exploit details now public, the priority for any organisation running Ivanti Sentry is to confirm its version, apply the fixed release, and check for signs of prior exploitation without delay.
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-10520?
CVE-2026-10520 is a critical OS command injection vulnerability in Ivanti Sentry, scoring 10.0 on the CVSS scale, that allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to achieve root-level remote code execution.
What is Ivanti Sentry used for?
Ivanti Sentry, formerly MobileIron Sentry, is a gateway that manages and secures traffic between mobile devices and back-end enterprise systems such as Microsoft Exchange, working alongside Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile.
Which versions of Ivanti Sentry are affected?
Versions 10.5.1 and earlier, 10.6.1 and earlier, and 10.7.0 and earlier are affected. Fixes are available in versions R10.5.2, R10.6.2 and R10.7.1.
Is CVE-2026-10520 being actively exploited?
As of the CERT-EU advisory on 10 June 2026, there were no confirmed reports of active exploitation, but a public proof of concept and detection tool have since been published, increasing the risk of imminent exploitation attempts.
What should organisations do right now?
Organisations running Ivanti Sentry should update to the fixed versions immediately, review access logs for signs of exploitation, and restrict internet access to management interfaces where patching cannot happen right away.
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