Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-28848

RCE in Open-Metadata Openmetadata ≤ 1.2.4

Published
15 March 2024
Modified
17 June 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.079 94th percentile
Risk Priority 90 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2024-28848 is a high-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Open-Metadata Openmetadata. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

OpenMetadata, a metadata platform for data discovery and governance, contains a critical expression language injection vulnerability in the CompiledRule::validateExpression method. This component uses a StandardEvaluationContext to evaluate user-supplied SpEL expressions without restriction, permitting direct access to classes such as java.lang.Runtime. The flaw is exposed through the unauthenticated-authorization path at /api/v1/policies/validation/condition/<expression>, which passes attacker-controlled input directly to the evaluator.

Any authenticated non-admin user can therefore submit crafted expressions that execute arbitrary system commands on the host operating system, resulting in full remote code execution. The absence of an Authorizer.authorize() call on this code path means the endpoint lacks the intended access control, allowing privilege escalation from a low-privileged account.

The vulnerability was fixed in OpenMetadata 1.2.4; the project advisory recommends immediate upgrade and states that no workarounds exist. The issue was identified via static analysis (CodeQL) and is tracked as GHSL-2023-236. The associated EPSS score reached 0.7862 without a subsequent material increase, indicating sustained but not sharply rising exploitation interest after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

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…

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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.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
Adversaries may abuse AppleScript for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.005 Visual Basic Execution
Adversaries may abuse Visual Basic (VB) for execution.
T1059.006 Python Execution
Adversaries may abuse Python commands and scripts for execution.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-28847Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2024-28253Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2026-22244Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2024-28254Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2025-50467Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2025-50466Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2025-50468Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2025-50465Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2024-55238Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata
CVE-2026-26010Same product: Open-Metadata Openmetadata

Affected Assets

open-metadata
openmetadata
≤ 1.2.4

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.3.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation finds code paths that accept and execute externally influenced strings.

Input validation directly stops untrusted data from being used to construct executable code without neutralization.

Least privilege limits the damage an injected code fragment can perform once executed.

Requiring documented secure development standards and tools enforces use of safe code-generation APIs and escaping.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Banning unapproved code samples and unauthenticated web services, combined with secure-coding standards and SAST, prevents the dynamic generation or inclusion of attacker-supplied code.

none

Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.

References