CVE-2026-25610 in Server
Summary
by MITRE • 02/10/2026
An authorized user may trigger a server crash by running a $geoNear pipeline with certain invalid index hints.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/26/2026
This vulnerability exists within MongoDB database systems where an authenticated user can deliberately cause a server crash by executing a $geoNear aggregation pipeline operation with specific invalid index hints. The flaw represents a denial of service condition that can be exploited by users who possess valid credentials to the database system. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the database processes a geo-spatial aggregation query that includes malformed or inappropriate index hinting directives, leading to an unhandled exception that terminates the database server process. This represents a critical security concern as it allows authenticated users to disrupt database services without requiring elevated privileges or administrative access. The technical implementation involves the aggregation framework's handling of geo-spatial operations where index hinting parameters are improperly validated or sanitized before execution.
The underlying technical mechanism involves the interaction between MongoDB's aggregation pipeline engine and its geo-spatial indexing capabilities. When a user submits a $geoNear pipeline with invalid index hints, the system fails to properly validate the hint parameters against the available index structures. This validation failure causes the database engine to attempt to access non-existent or incompatible index structures, resulting in a segmentation fault or similar critical error that crashes the mongod process. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and error handling within the aggregation framework, specifically in how it processes spatial query hints. According to CWE classification, this maps to CWE-248: Uncaught Exception, as the system does not properly handle invalid index hint parameters during geo-spatial operations. The flaw operates at the application level within the database engine's query processing logic, where proper error boundaries and input sanitization mechanisms are missing.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise database availability and integrity. An attacker with legitimate database access can repeatedly trigger this crash condition to maintain ongoing denial of service against database operations, affecting all users of the system. In production environments, this could lead to significant downtime, data access interruptions, and potential cascading failures in applications that depend on the database. The vulnerability affects MongoDB installations where geo-spatial indexing is utilized and aggregation pipelines are executed with user-provided parameters. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service and T1566.001: Phishing, as it can be exploited through legitimate user accounts to cause system disruption. The impact is particularly severe in environments where database availability is critical for business operations, as the crash can affect multiple concurrent users and applications simultaneously.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected MongoDB versions and implementation of proper input validation measures. Database administrators should apply the latest security patches from MongoDB to address the root cause of the vulnerability. Additionally, implementing strict parameter validation for geo-spatial aggregation operations can prevent malformed index hints from reaching the core database engine. Organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual patterns of geo-spatial query execution that might indicate exploitation attempts. Access controls and privilege management should be reviewed to minimize the impact of potential exploitation, ensuring that only necessary users have access to geo-spatial aggregation features. The implementation of proper error handling and graceful degradation mechanisms within the database application layer can help prevent complete service crashes. Regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on aggregation pipeline operations should be conducted to identify similar validation gaps in the system architecture. Network segmentation and intrusion detection systems can also help monitor for exploitation attempts and provide early warning of potential attacks targeting this vulnerability.