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New CVE Detected

CVE-2026-48528 – Unauthenticated SQL Injection (RCE-level data compromise) – Metacat 2.0.0 through 3

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Summary

CVE-2026-48528 is a critical, unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in Metacat, the NCEAS data repository software. The nodeId parameter of the /cn/v1/object and /cn/v2/object REST API endpoints is passed to backend PostgreSQL queries without sanitization, allowing remote attackers to extract or manipulate database contents without any credentials. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical).

Technical details

  • Root cause: user-supplied input in the nodeId parameter is concatenated into a SQL query without sanitization or parameterization.
  • Trigger conditions: sending a crafted request to the /cn/v1/object or /cn/v2/object REST endpoints; PostgreSQL error messages are reflected back and can be leveraged to exfiltrate data.
  • Attack vector: network-based, no authentication or user interaction required.
  • Impact: extraction of arbitrary data from the underlying PostgreSQL database, and unauthorized modification or deletion of data (confidentiality, integrity, and availability all fully impacted).

Affected software

  • Metacat versions 2.0.0 through 3.4.0 (inclusive)

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: upgrade to Metacat version 3.4.1 or later, which resolves the SQL injection issue.
  • If patching is not immediately possible: disable the vulnerable CN REST endpoints by removing the /d1/cn/v1/ and /d1/cn/v2/ servlet mappings from the application’s web.xml deployment configuration.

How IONIX identifies potentially affected assets

IONIX matches the following signals against data already collected when it crawled the asset; identifying the technology sends no request beyond that crawl.

  • Page title: Metacat Configuration
  • Raw response body: /docs/_static/metacat-logo-darkgray.png (or white variant), id="metacatui-app"
  • JavaScript object present once the page runs: Got token; sending login request to metacat

References

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