CVE-2024-28981
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 · uneditedHitachi Vantara Pentaho Data Integration & Analytics versions before 10.1.0.0 and 9.3.0.8, including 8.3.x, discloses database passwords when searching metadata injectable fields.
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 confidenceHitachi Vantara Pentaho Data Integration & Analytics contains an information disclosure vulnerability in the metadata injectable fields search functionality. This allows unauthenticated or low-privileged users to potentially retrieve stored database connection passwords used by Pentaho transformations and jobs.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Pentaho versionLocate the version file or check the Pentaho server UI help/about section. Common locations include: VERSION.txt in the installation root, or the Pentaho Server UI under Help > About. Compare against known vulnerable versions (prior to 9.3.0.8 or 10.1.0.0).Affected if The installed version is earlier than 9.3.0.8 or 10.1.0.0, or the version cannot be determined.
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Verify metadata injectable fields search is accessibleAttempt to access the metadata search endpoint or UI component. In Pentaho, this is typically found in the Data Integration module or Metadata Editor under injectable fields or field search features. Check if unauthenticated or low-privileged users can reach this endpoint.Affected if The metadata injectable fields search functionality is exposed and accessible to unauthenticated or low-privileged users.
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Inspect user role permissionsReview the Pentaho security configuration and user roles. Check if roles other than Administrator can access metadata search functions. Examine the security/roles XML files or the Pentaho Administration console for permission assignments.Affected if Users with low-privileged roles (non-administrator) have access to metadata search or injectable fields features.
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Audit stored database connectionsReview Pentaho transformation (.ktr) and job (.kjb) files for database connections. Look for embedded passwords in connection configurations within the Pentaho repository or file system. Check the /pentaho-solutions/system directory for datasources and connection configuration files.Affected if Database connections with stored passwords exist in transformations, jobs, or datasource configurations accessible through the metadata search.
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Check network accessibilityVerify network exposure of Pentaho services. Determine if the Pentaho Server is accessible from untrusted networks or if authentication is required for all endpoints. Review firewall rules and web server configuration.Affected if Pentaho services are exposed to untrusted networks without proper access controls.
Your environment is affected if running a Pentaho version prior to 9.3.0.8 or 10.1.0.0 AND the metadata injectable fields search feature is accessible to unauthenticated or low-privileged users who could retrieve stored database connection passwords.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpgrade to Pentaho version 10.1.0.0, 9.3.0.8, or later. Until patching is possible, restrict network access to Pentaho services and audit user permissions on metadata search features.
10.1.0.0 or later (recommended), or 9.3.0.8 or later
- Identify all Pentaho Data Integration & Analytics installations in your environment
- Check the current version of each installation (help > about in Pentaho UI or via configuration files)
- For versions before 9.3.0.8 (including 8.3.x), plan upgrade to 9.3.0.8 or later
- For versions 9.3.x before 9.3.0.8, upgrade to 9.3.0.8 minimum
- For versions before 10.1.0.0 (but not in the 9.3.x branch), upgrade to 10.1.0.0 or later
- Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
- Backup all configuration files, repositories, and databases before upgrading
- Perform the upgrade following Hitachi Vantara's documented upgrade procedure
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-28981 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-28981 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data