Horizon Alert
Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters
A critical vulnerability has been identified in Metacat, a data repository software used by researchers. This issue, an unauthenticated SQL injection, could allow unauthorized access to read, write, or execute commands within the Metacat database. The primary concern is to confirm if your organization uses this software and if it is exposed to potential exploitation.
- Unauthenticated code injection in data sharing software.
- Affects data preservation, sharing, and discovery capabilities.
- Confirm Metacat usage and external exposure.
Attack Path
How an attacker could exploit the issue
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to the Metacat data repository. The `/harvesterRegistration` endpoint, which is exposed externally, does not require any authentication and directly processes user-supplied parameters. These parameters are used to build a database query without proper sanitization, allowing an attacker to inject malicious SQL commands. This can lead to unauthorized access and modification of the Metacat database.
- No authentication needed.
- Exploitable via web request.
- Complete database control.
Live Threat
Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context
When supported by the advisory, an unauthenticated SQL injection in Metacat's harvester registration endpoint could allow an attacker to read, write, or execute arbitrary commands within the Metacat database. This is possible because the affected component uses string concatenation to build SQL queries without properly sanitizing user-supplied input from specific request parameters.
- Database data and access.
- Via unauthenticated network requests.
- Full database read/write/execute.
Priority actions
Operational Fix
Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps
Application owners and infrastructure teams are likely responsible for addressing this SQL injection vulnerability in Metacat. The first practical step is to identify all Metacat instances, determine their reachability and business criticality, and confirm the accountable owner before planning remediation.
- Application owners must track Metacat instances.
- Verify Metacat reachability and criticality.
- Coordinate vendor updates and plan maintenance.
