CVE-2026-41478 — @saltcorn/server
CRITICALCVE-2026-41478 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) SQL Injection vulnerability in @saltcorn/server. A fix is available for @saltcorn/server — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Saltcorn: SQL Injection via Unparameterized Sync Endpoints (maxLoadedId)
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-41478.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2026-41478 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
@saltcorn/servernpmDescription
Summary
A critical SQL injection vulnerability in Saltcorn’s mobile-sync routes allows any authenticated low-privilege user with read access to at least one table to inject arbitrary SQL through sync parameters. This can lead to full database exfiltration, including admin password hashes and configuration secrets, and may also enable database modification or destruction depending on the backend.
Details
The issue affects the mobile-sync endpoints:
POST /sync/load_changesPOST /sync/deletes
According to the provided analysis, user-controlled values from the request body are interpolated directly into SQL template literals without parameterization, type enforcement, or sanitization. In particular, req.body.syncInfos[tableName].maxLoadedId is embedded into SQL in getSyncRows() and timestamp-derived values are similarly interpolated in getDelRows().
Relevant vulnerable code paths include:
packages/server/routes/sync.js—getSyncRows()- branch using
where data_tbl."${db.sqlsanitize(pkName)}" > ${syncInfo.maxLoadedId} - branch using
and info_tbl.ref > ${syncInfo.maxLoadedId}
- branch using
packages/server/routes/sync.js—getDelRows()- timestamp expressions built from request-controlled values and inserted into SQL
packages/server/routes/sync.js—/load_changesroute handler- request body fields are passed into the SQL-building functions without validation or safe binding
The root cause is that values are treated as trusted SQL fragments rather than bound parameters. While db.sqlsanitize() is used for identifiers elsewhere, that does not protect interpolated values and is not intended to prevent value-based SQL injection. The report notes there is no parseInt(), numeric validation, or prepared-statement binding before these values are concatenated into the query string.
This means a normal authenticated user can escape the intended query logic and execute arbitrary SQL in the context of the application database. The provided evidence demonstrates successful extraction of user records and schema information through the vulnerable sync route, confirming that the injection is practically exploitable.
PoC
Based on the provided report, the issue can be reproduced by authenticating as a normal user, sending a crafted request to the affected sync endpoint, and placing a malicious SQL expression into the sync metadata field that is later interpolated into the backend query. Successful exploitation returns attacker-selected database contents in the sync response.
Impact
- Type: SQL injection
- Who is impacted: Any Saltcorn deployment exposing the affected mobile-sync routes to authenticated users
- Security impact: An authenticated low-privilege user may exfiltrate the full database, including password hashes, configuration secrets, application data, and schema information; on some backends, the same flaw may also permit writes, schema changes, or destructive operations
- Attack preconditions: The attacker needs a valid authenticated account with access to at least one readable table through the sync feature
- Privilege impact: The issue allows escalation from normal user access to database-wide compromise
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @saltcorn/server | all versions | 1.4.6npm install @saltcorn/server@1.4.6 |
| 📦npm | @saltcorn/server | ≥ 1.5.0-beta.0&&< 1.5.6 | 1.5.6npm install @saltcorn/server@1.5.6 |
| 📦npm | @saltcorn/server | ≥ 1.6.0-alpha.0&&< 1.6.0-beta.5 | 1.6.0-beta.5npm install @saltcorn/server@1.6.0-beta.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @saltcorn/server, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update @saltcorn/server to 1.4.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-41478 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-41478 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-41478. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-41478 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-41478 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.