CVE-2026-21892
Published: 08 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-21892 is a medium-severity SQL Injection (CWE-89) vulnerability in Uchicago Parsl. Its CVSS base score is 5.3 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 28.2th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-21892 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the parsl-visualize component of Parsl, a Python parallel scripting library. Affecting versions prior to 2026.01.05, the flaw arises from constructing SQL queries using unsafe string formatting via the Python % operator with untrusted user input—the workflow_id parameter sourced directly from URL routes.
An unauthenticated attacker with access to the visualization dashboard can exploit this vulnerability over the network with low complexity and no privileges required. Successful exploitation enables injection of arbitrary SQL commands, potentially resulting in data exfiltration from the monitoring database or denial-of-service conditions against it. The issue carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L), reflecting medium severity primarily due to availability impact.
The Parsl project addressed the vulnerability in version 2026.01.05. Security advisories and the fixing commit are available on GitHub at https://github.com/Parsl/parsl/commit/013a928461e70f38a33258bd525a351ed828e974 and https://github.com/Parsl/parsl/security/advisories/GHSA-f2mf-q878-gh58, recommending immediate upgrade to the patched release.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-1034
Vulnerability details
Parsl is a Python parallel scripting library. A SQL Injection vulnerability exists in the parsl-visualize component of versions prior to 2026.01.05. The application constructs SQL queries using unsafe string formatting (Python % operator) with user-supplied input (workflow_id) directly from URL…
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routes. This allows an unauthenticated attacker with access to the visualization dashboard to inject arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to data exfiltration or denial of service against the monitoring database. Version 2026.01.05 fixes the issue.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Direct network-exploitable SQL injection in a public-facing visualization dashboard component enables initial access via T1190.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires validation and sanitization of the workflow_id input taken directly from URL routes before it is used in SQL query construction via unsafe % formatting.
Enforces access-control decisions on the visualization dashboard routes so that unauthenticated or unauthorized callers cannot reach the vulnerable SQL-query code path.
Enables continuous monitoring and anomaly detection on database interactions that would reveal attempted or successful SQL injection against the monitoring database.