CVE-2026-46741 in Etsy::StatsD
Summary
by MITRE • 06/04/2026
Etsy::StatsD versions through 1.002002 for Perl allow metric injections.
The metric names and values are not checked for newlines, colons or pipes. Metrics generated from untrusted sources could inject additional statsd metrics.
Note that the git repository contains an unreleased version with the gauge and set methods that also do not check for potential metric injections.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2026
The Etsy::StatsD Perl module vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in metric injection handling that can lead to unauthorized data manipulation and potential system compromise. This vulnerability affects versions through 1.002002 and stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the module's metric processing functions. The core issue lies in the absence of proper sanitization for special characters including newlines, colons, and pipes that are commonly used to separate metrics in the statsd protocol. When metrics are generated from untrusted sources without proper validation, attackers can exploit this weakness to inject additional malicious metrics into the system.
The technical implementation flaw allows attackers to craft metric names containing control characters that can be interpreted by the statsd daemon as separate metric entries. This injection occurs because the module fails to sanitize input data before processing, creating a path for malicious actors to manipulate the monitoring infrastructure. The vulnerability specifically affects the module's handling of metric names and values, where newlines can be used to create multiple metric entries, colons can alter metric structure, and pipes can introduce additional commands. This type of injection vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94, representing both command injection and input validation weaknesses that can be leveraged for broader system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks against the monitoring infrastructure. An attacker who can inject metrics can potentially flood the system with false data, manipulate monitoring dashboards, or even redirect metric collection to external systems. The presence of unreleased versions with similar issues in gauge and set methods suggests this is not an isolated problem but rather a systemic weakness in the module's input handling architecture. This vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in environments where statsd is used for critical monitoring, alerting, or operational metrics collection, as it allows for potential data poisoning and operational disruption.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing strict input validation and sanitization for all metric names and values before processing. Organizations should upgrade to patched versions of the Etsy::StatsD module when available and implement additional layers of protection such as metric name validation, character set restrictions, and input filtering mechanisms. The solution should align with ATT&CK techniques related to input validation and command execution prevention. Regular security audits of monitoring infrastructure components and implementation of principle of least privilege for metric generation should be enforced. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unusual metric injection patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of validating all inputs in monitoring and telemetry systems, as these components often serve as critical infrastructure elements that can be leveraged for broader system compromise.