Metacat has an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability

published 2026-06-15 4 mo ago modified 2026-10-25 14 d ago also EUVD-2026-36795

cvss: 9.8; version 3.1, CNA
cisa kev: Not listed; not in CISA's catalog
epss: 0.4%; EPSS 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 31%
public exploits: 0; none known

Metacat is data repository software that helps researchers preserve, share, and discover data. Versions 2.0.0 and and above contain an unauthenticated SQL injection in the /harvesterRegistration endpoint. HarvesterRegistration.dbInsert() builds an INSERT against HARVEST_SITE_SCHEDULE via string concatenation, using a quoteString() helper that performs raw single-quote wrapping without escaping. Three request parameters reach the sink: unit, contactEmail, and documentListURL. The servlet does not verify a real LDAP identity. Allowing the vulnerable insert to proceed. Since the PostgreSQL backend permits stacked queries via Statement.executeUpdate(), this vulnerability allows full read/write/execute access in the Metacat database context. The vulnerability was remediated in Metacat 3.0.0.

Patch / fix

links 1

github.com/NCEAS/metacat@820d595 commit

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none
Automatable: yes
Technical impact: total
Assessed: 4 mo ago (2026-06-15)

Exploit prediction

0.37% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 31% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).

CVSS scores

assigned by	version	score	vector
CNA	3.1	9.8	CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

NCEAS metacat

Classification

Weakness

CWE-89 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command
CWE-287 Improper Authentication

References

Sources

CVE List CVE-2026-48114
NVD CVE-2026-48114

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Summary