CVE-2026-47834 in Data JPA
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Spring Data JPA's Sort validation can be bypassed when parameters containing crafted payload are accepted from untrusted sources. Spring Data JPA 4.1.0 Spring Data JPA 4.0.0 - 4.0.6 Spring Data JPA 3.5.0 - 3.5.13 Spring Data JPA 3.0.0 - 3.4.15
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability in question pertains to the Sort validation mechanism within Spring Data JPA, specifically affecting versions ranging from 3.0.0 through 3.4.15 and 3.5.0 through 4.0.6, as well as version 4.1.0. This security flaw arises when the framework accepts sort parameters derived directly from untrusted external sources without adequate sanitization or validation logic. In typical Spring Data JPA applications, developers often expose query methods that allow clients to specify how results should be ordered by passing a Sort object constructed from user-supplied input. When this input is not rigorously validated against an allowed list of properties, the application becomes susceptible to improper neutralization of special elements during parameter processing.
The technical core of this vulnerability lies in the ability of an attacker to inject crafted payloads into the sort criteria parameters. Because Spring Data JPA translates these Sort objects directly into SQL ORDER BY clauses, a lack of strict validation allows for potential injection attacks or unintended data exposure. An adversary can manipulate the sort field names to reference internal database structures, private columns, or even attempt to bypass access controls by ordering results in ways that reveal sensitive information not intended for public consumption. This behavior aligns with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation and CWE-798 Use of Hard-coded Credentials if such manipulation leads to privilege escalation through metadata exposure. Furthermore, the exploitation vector is consistent with ATT&CK technique T1564 Hidden Files and Directories or more broadly T1005 Data from Local System depending on whether the impact involves information disclosure via sorting anomalies.
The operational impact of this vulnerability can be severe for applications relying heavily on dynamic querying capabilities. Attackers may exploit the bypassed validation to perform unauthorized data access, potentially retrieving sensitive records by manipulating sort orders that expose hidden fields or trigger database errors that leak structural details. In some scenarios, if the underlying database supports complex expressions within ORDER BY clauses, this could lead to broader injection risks similar to SQL Injection, although primarily categorized here as an input validation failure leading to information disclosure or logic bypass. The risk is particularly acute in RESTful APIs where query parameters are directly mapped to Spring Data method arguments without intermediate filtering layers.
Mitigation strategies must focus on implementing strict allow-listing for sort properties rather than relying solely on blacklist approaches which can be easily circumvented by crafted payloads. Developers should validate that any property name used in a Sort object corresponds exactly to an entity field defined in the JPA model, rejecting any input that does not match known safe identifiers. Additionally, utilizing Spring Data’s built-in Pageable and Sort classes with explicit configuration to disable dynamic sorting for untrusted inputs can significantly reduce the attack surface. Upgrading to patched versions where this validation logic has been hardened is essential, but immediate remediation should involve code-level changes to enforce rigorous input sanitization before constructing Sort objects from external data sources.