GeoNetwork vulnerable to Remote Code Execution via unsafe Saxon XSLT processor configuration in formatter

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2026-58400
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerGitHub_M
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-09-03 18:17:22 UTC
Updated2026-09-04 14:17:19 UTC
DescriptionGeoNetwork is a catalog application to manage spatially referenced resources. Prior to versions 4.4.12 and 4.2.17, the Saxon XSLT processor used to render formatters is configured without secure processing (`FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING`) and without disabling Java extension functions (`ALLOW_EXTERNAL_FUNCTIONS`). Any stylesheet loaded by GeoNetwork can therefore invoke `java.lang.Runtime.exec()` or `java.lang.ProcessBuilder` directly, achieving arbitrary command execution as the GeoNetwork process user. A user with sufficient privileges to upload a formatter can deliver a `.xsl` file containing Java extension call that execute arbitrary OS commands with the privileges of the GeoNetwork process. The issue is patched in GeoNetwork versions 4.4.12 and 4.2.17.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 9.1 CRITICAL from [email protected]

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

EPSS: 0.011870000 probability, percentile 0.653440000 (date 2026-09-05)

Problem Types: CWE-94 | CWE-470 | CWE-94 CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') | CWE-470 CWE-470: Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection')

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1[email protected]Secondary9.1CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
3.1CNADECLARED9.1CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

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

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

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Geonetwork Core-geonetwork affected >= 4.3.0, < 4.4.12 Not specified
CNA Geonetwork Core-geonetwork affected < 4.2.17 Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
thehackernews.com/2026/09/geonetwork-fixes-unauthenticated-rce.html [email protected] thehackernews.com
docs.geonetwork-opensource.org/4.4/overview/change-log/version-4.4.12 [email protected] docs.geonetwork-opensource.org
github.com/geonetwork/core-geonetwork/security/advisories/GHSA-x898-729x... [email protected] github.com
docs.geonetwork-opensource.org/4.2/overview/change-log/version-4.2.17 [email protected] docs.geonetwork-opensource.org
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NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

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