CVE-2026-9193 in MarkLogic Server
Summary
by MITRE • 08/05/2026
An improper privilege management vulnerability in the Hadoop integration of Progress MarkLogic Server before 11.3.6 and 12.0.3 allows an authenticated user with a low-privileged Hadoop role to escalate privileges and execute privileged operations against the Security database.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/05/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical privilege escalation issue within Progress MarkLogic Server's Hadoop integration component, affecting versions prior to 11.3.6 and 12.0.3. The flaw stems from inadequate access control mechanisms that fail to properly enforce privilege boundaries between different user roles within the Hadoop integration framework. An authenticated user possessing only a low-privileged Hadoop role can exploit this weakness to gain elevated permissions and execute operations against the Security database, which typically requires higher privileges. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege enforcement within the system's authorization model.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in how MarkLogic Server handles privilege validation when processing Hadoop integration requests. When an authenticated user makes requests through the Hadoop interface, the system fails to properly validate whether the requesting user has sufficient privileges to perform the requested operations against security-sensitive components. This misconfiguration allows a user with minimal permissions to bypass normal access controls and escalate their privileges to execute administrative functions that should be restricted to authorized administrators only. The vulnerability specifically targets the Security database, which contains critical authentication and authorization information, making it particularly dangerous.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially compromise the entire security infrastructure of the MarkLogic Server deployment. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain access to user credentials, modify access controls, create new administrative accounts, or manipulate security policies that govern the system's operation. This weakness essentially provides a backdoor for authenticated attackers to move laterally within the system and escalate their access to critical system functions. The Security database operations that become available include but are not limited to user management, role assignment, permission modifications, and authentication configuration changes. Organizations using MarkLogic Server with Hadoop integration in production environments face significant risk of unauthorized access and potential data breaches.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of affected versions to 11.3.6 or 12.0.3 where the privilege management issues have been addressed. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring controls to detect unusual access patterns against security-sensitive database operations, particularly those originating from Hadoop integration endpoints. Network segmentation and firewall rules can help limit access to the Hadoop integration interfaces to trusted sources only. Regular privilege reviews and enforcement of principle of least privilege should be implemented across all user roles within the MarkLogic environment. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper privileges management, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation through unauthorized access to security databases. System administrators should also consider implementing privileged access management solutions to further restrict access to critical system components and maintain audit trails of all security database operations.