NCEAS metacat up to 2.x PostgreSQL Backend /write/execute HarvesterRegistration.dbInsert sql injection

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in NCEAS metacat up to 2.x. It has been classified as critical. Affected is the function HarvesterRegistration.dbInsert of the file /write/execute of the component PostgreSQL Backend. The manipulation leads to sql injection. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-48114. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in NCEAS metacat up to 2.x. This issue affects the function HarvesterRegistration.dbInsert of the file /write/execute of the component PostgreSQL Backend. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a sql injection vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-89. The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

Metacat is data repository software that helps researchers preserve, share, and discover data. Versions 2.0.0 and and above contain an unauthenticated SQL injection in the /harvesterRegistration endpoint. HarvesterRegistration.dbInsert() builds an INSERT against HARVEST_SITE_SCHEDULE via string concatenation, using a quoteString() helper that performs raw single-quote wrapping without escaping. Three request parameters reach the sink: unit, contactEmail, and documentListURL. The servlet does not verify a real LDAP identity. Allowing the vulnerable insert to proceed. Since the PostgreSQL backend permits stacked queries via Statement.executeUpdate(), this vulnerability allows full read/write/execute access in the Metacat database context. The vulnerability was remediated in Metacat 3.0.0.

The advisory is shared at github.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-48114 since 05/20/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. MITRE ATT&CK project uses the attack technique T1505 for this issue.

Upgrading to version 3.0.0 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 820d595309b399fdbdf4983bd1b1dd795773472a is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at github.com. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

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Productinfo

Vendor

• NCEAS

Name

• metacat

Version

• 2.x

License

• open-source

Website

• Product: https://github.com/NCEAS/metacat/

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CPE 2.2info

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