CVE-2026-46487
HIGHCVE-2026-46487 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-46487 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
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 | 4.2.16 |
| ☕Maven | org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork | ≥ 4.4.0&&< 4.4.11 | 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. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
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
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 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-46487 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-46487. 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-2026-46487 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-46487 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.