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Intro
CVE‑2026‑46839 is a critical vulnerability in the Core component of Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS). It affects all supported versions from 24.2.0 up to and including 26.1.0. The flaw is trivially exploitable by a low‑privileged attacker who can reach ORDS over HTTPS. Once the attacker has network access, no further authentication is required – the attack complexity is low. A notable aspect is that the vulnerability resides in the Core component, but the compromise can “spill over” to other products, making the scope “changed” in CVSS terms. Successful exploitation gives the attacker full control over the ORDS instance, allowing them to read, modify, or delete any data that ORDS can access, and to execute arbitrary operations on the underlying database or adjacent systems. Because ORDS is often used as a gateway that exposes corporate databases via REST APIs, a full takeover can quickly lead to a complete breach of the backend data layer. The vulnerability received a CVSS base score of 9.9 (Critical) with the vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. The only reason it does not reach a perfect 10 is the need for low‑level network credentials to initiate the attack. Oracle addressed the issue in its May 2026 Critical Security Patch Update (CSPU). No public proof‑of‑concept exploit has been released as of early June 2026, but the technical details are straightforward enough that attackers are likely to develop working exploits quickly.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Oracle REST Data Services
Version: 24.2.0 – 26.1.0
Vulnerability: Core component takeover
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.9)
date: 2026-05-28
Prediction: 2026-06-16 (next CSPU)
What Undercode Say:
1. Check ORDS version (if accessible)
curl -k https://target/ords/_/api/version
2. Detect vulnerable version range
ords_version=$(curl -s -k https://target/ords/_/api/version | jq -r '.version')
if [[ "$ords_version" =~ ^(24.[2-9].|25.|26.1.0) ]]; then
echo "Vulnerable to CVE-2026-46839"
fi
3. Verify patch status (after applying Oracle’s CSPU)
The fixed version is 26.1.1 or higher (not yet released as of May 2026)
Check if the ORDS home contains the patch metadata
grep -r "CVE-2026-46839" $ORDS_HOME/patches/
4. Simulated exploitation (requires authenticated ORDS session)
The exact API endpoint is not public, but the pattern is:
curl -k -X POST https://target/ords/core/vulnerable/endpoint \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-d '{"malicious":"payload"}'
5. Workaround: block suspicious HTTP methods or request patterns
Use a WAF rule to reject requests containing "../" or "..\"
Exploit:
A low‑privileged authenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTPS request to a specific ORDS Core endpoint. The request contains a path traversal payload that bypasses the Core component’s input validation. Because the component fails to properly sanitize the payload, the attacker can escape the intended REST API sandbox and execute arbitrary commands on the ORDS server. Once arbitrary command execution is achieved, the attacker can escalate privileges, dump the ORDS configuration (including database connection strings and credentials), and finally take full control of the ORDS gateway. From there, the attacker can pivot to any database or backend system that ORDS is connected to.
Protection:
- Apply the Oracle Critical Security Patch Update (CSPU) released in May 2026. The fixed version is ORDS 26.1.1 or later (see Oracle Advisory).
- If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to ORDS to trusted IP ranges only.
- Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block request patterns that include path traversal sequences (
../,..\\) or encoded variants. - Enforce the principle of least privilege: the ORDS database user should have only the minimum necessary permissions.
- Monitor ORDS logs for anomalous request patterns, especially repeated attempts to access `/core/` endpoints with unusual parameters.
Impact:
- Confidentiality: An attacker can read any data that ORDS has access to, including sensitive database records, configuration files, and credentials.
- Integrity: The attacker can modify or delete any data reachable via ORDS, leading to data corruption or loss.
- Availability: Full takeover allows the attacker to shut down ORDS, disrupt API services, or use the gateway as a launchpad for further attacks.
- Scope Change: Because ORDS often sits between multiple backend applications, a compromise can spread to other products and data stores that rely on ORDS for API mediation.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
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