OpenmetadataApplication · Open Metadata

CVE-2024-28848

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.2.4 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
OpenMetadata is a unified platform for discovery, observability, and governance powered by a central metadata repository, in-depth lineage, and seamless team collaboration. The `‎CompiledRule::validateExpression` method evaluates an SpEL expression using an `StandardEvaluationContext`, allowing the expression to reach and interact with Java classes such as `java.lang.Runtime`, leading to Remote Code Execution. The `/api/v1/policies/validation/condition/<expression>` endpoint passes user-controlled data `CompiledRule::validateExpession` allowing authenticated (non-admin) users to execute arbitrary system commands on the underlaying operating system. In addition, there is a missing authorization check since `Authorizer.authorize()` is never called in the affected path and therefore any authenticated non-admin user is able to trigger this endpoint and evaluate arbitrary SpEL expressions leading to arbitrary command execution. This vulnerability was discovered with the help of CodeQL's Expression language injection (Spring) query and is also tracked as `GHSL-2023-236`. This issue may lead to Remote Code Execution and has been resolved in version 1.2.4. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

OpenMetadata before 1.2.4 contains a SpEL expression injection vulnerability in the CompiledRule::validateExpression method. The /api/v1/policies/validation/condition/<expression> endpoint passes user input directly to SpEL evaluation using StandardEvaluationContext, allowing access to dangerous Java classes like java.lang.Runtime for arbitrary command execution. Additionally, the affected endpoint lacks authorization checks since Authorizer.authorize() is never invoked, enabling any authenticated non-admin user to trigger the RCE.

MitigationUpgrade OpenMetadata to version 1.2.4 or later. No workarounds are available.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
OpenmetadataApplication
Affected:< 1.2.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify OpenMetadata version
    Check the version via the OpenMetadata API at /api/v1/system/version or inspect the deployed OpenMetadata JAR/WAR file or Docker container image tag
    Affected if Version is below 1.2.4 (e.g., 1.2.3, 1.2.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.0, earlier releases)
  2. Confirm the vulnerable endpoint is exposed
    Verify the /api/v1/policies/validation/condition/ endpoint is reachable by sending a test request to your OpenMetadata server
    Affected if The endpoint responds and accepts input (indicating the API is exposed)
  3. Verify authentication status
    Check whether OpenMetadata authentication is enabled by reviewing the security configuration or testing endpoint access without credentials
    Affected if Authentication is enabled and you have any valid user credentials (including non-admin users)
  4. Check for policy validation feature
    Inspect whether the Policy service and validation feature are enabled in your OpenMetadata deployment configuration
    Affected if The Policy feature is active and the validation endpoint is accessible

You are affected if running OpenMetadata version 1.2.3 or earlier AND the /api/v1/policies/validation/condition/ endpoint is accessible to authenticated users, as the vulnerability allows arbitrary SpEL execution without admin privileges.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.2.4 or later
Fixed in 1.2.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade OpenMetadata to version 1.2.4 or later. No workarounds are available.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.2.4

  1. Upgrade OpenMetadata to version 1.2.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability
  2. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed OpenMetadata version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openmetadata Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,160
Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-28848 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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