unauthenticated path traversal in Metacat 2.x

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2026-47754
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerGitHub_M
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-08-10 16:19:47 UTC
Updated2026-08-10 19:17:29 UTC
DescriptionMetacat is data repository software that helps researchers preserve, share, and discover data. Versions 2.x through 2.19.1 and all 1.x versions contain an unauthenticated path traversal in the `archiveEntryName` parameter of the `action=read` endpoint that is part of the original 1.x Metacat API. `ArchiveHandler.readArchiveEntry()` concatenates the user-supplied parameter into a filesystem path without validation, and the surrounding `hasReadPermission()` check is commented out. An unauthenticated remote attacker can read any file accessible to the Tomcat process by sending a single GET request. Proof-of-concept exploits have been demonstrated and verified against this vulnerability, and it should be considered easily exploitable for any Metacat deployment < 3.0.0 by any user with access to the 1.x API. Through this vulnerability, production 2.x deployments are exposed to credential theft, client certificate and private key exfiltration enabling member node impersonation within the federation, embargoed research data disclosure, and broad system reconnaissance. Given Metacat's deployment footprint across the DataONE network of repositories and federally funded research programs, the population of exposed 2.x instances is non-trivial. The vulnerability was eliminated in Metacat version 3.0.0 and after by eliminating the entire Metacat 1.x API that exposed this vulnerability. The vulnerability was remediated in April 2024 with the release of Metacat 3.0.0, which removed the legacy Metacat API including ArchiveHandler.java. The commit message and issue reference architectural cleanup, not a security fix, and no advisory or CVE was issued. The 2.x branch was not and will not be backported, as is standard practice in Metacat, which only supports the most current release. 2.19.1 remains vulnerable with identical code and is beyond its supported lifetime. As a workaround, disable or restrict 1.x API servlets. Because the vulnerable 1.x API is no longer used or necessary in most Metacat deployments, restricting access to the old API endpoints can reduce or eliminate exposure for 2.19.x deployments. After removing those features, restart Tomcat or whichever software is hosting the servlets.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 9.3 CRITICAL from [email protected]

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N

Problem Types: CWE-22 | CWE-862 | CWE-22 CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') | CWE-862 CWE-862: Missing Authorization

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1[email protected]Secondary9.3CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
3.1CNADECLARED9.3CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA NCEAS Metacat affected < 3.0.0 Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
github.com/NCEAS/metacat/commit/07e034b2bbf7029e28af32f472f4d70ea6b5ab1b [email protected] github.com
github.com/NCEAS/metacat/issues/1365 [email protected] github.com
github.com/NCEAS/metacat/pull/1713 [email protected] github.com
github.com/NCEAS/metacat/security/advisories/GHSA-m852-f287-7cgw [email protected] github.com
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