CVE-2026-46487 — geonetwork
HIGHCVE-2026-46487 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork. A fix is available for org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork — see the affected versions and patch details below.
GeoNetwork has ACL bypass on Elasticsearch search when request body omits query field
Real-World Exposure
org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork☕org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork☕org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetworkReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
GeoNetwork's Elasticsearch-backed search API is responsible for injecting access-control and visibility filters into every request before it reaches the underlying Elasticsearch index. Under certain request conditions, that filtering step does not run, allowing an unauthenticated user to retrieve indexed metadata records that should be restricted, including records limited to specific groups.
Details
The search proxy layer forwards client-supplied search requests to Elasticsearch after adding GeoNetwork's own access-control and filter clauses. A flaw in how that filter-injection step is triggered means it can be skipped under certain conditions, so the affected request reaches Elasticsearch without the intended access restrictions applied.
Impact
This is an authorization bypass leading to information disclosure (CWE-862: Missing Authorization). The skipped filter step is responsible for enforcing several layers of access control at once: group-based record visibility, draft record exclusion, record ownership checks, and portal-specific filtering.
Any public-facing GeoNetwork 4.x instance (4.0.0-alpha.1 through 4.4.10) is affected. An unauthenticated attacker can retrieve the full contents of metadata records that should not be publicly visible.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork | ≥ 4.0.0-alpha.1 | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork | ≥ 4.2.0&&< 4.2.16 | 4.2.16org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork:4.2.16 |
| ☕Maven | org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork | ≥ 4.4.0&&< 4.4.11 | 4.4.11org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork:4.4.11 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
No patched version of org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork has shipped for CVE-2026-46487 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-46487 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.