Glances allowed dynamic configuration values where substrings wrapped in backticks are interpreted as shell commands and executed during configuration parsing. Because the code path in Config.get_value() does not validate or restrict these commands, an attacker who can modify the configuration file can inject arbitrary shell commands. If Glances runs with elevated privileges, such injection can lead to privilege escalation and compromise the host. The weakness matches CWE‑78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command.

The vulnerability affects the Glances system monitoring tool from nicolargo. All versions prior to 4.5.3 are impacted, including any deployments where the service runs as root or another privileged account. The official fix is delivered in release 4.5.3, which removes execution of backticked expressions and sanitises configuration values. If the application is still running an older release, it remains susceptible.

With a CVSS base score of 7.8 the vulnerability is considered high risk. However, the EPSS score indicates that exploitation likelihood is below 1 %. The issue has not been listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, suggesting no widespread automated exploitation. The attack requires the attacker to write to the Glances configuration file or otherwise influence its content, which may be possible through local access, compromised user accounts, or network exposure of configuration endpoints. If vulnerable, an attacker can execute arbitrary commands with the same privileges as the Glances process, potentially gaining root access on systems where the service runs as root.