CVE-2026-39379: Geonetwork Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2v4m-fw6c-g78f
CVSS 7.1
CWE-79 CWE-1336
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-39379 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Geonetwork libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves geonetwork has reflected xss through client-side template injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.15, 4.4.10.

CVE-2026-39379 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-39379
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2v4m-fw6c-g78f
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Geonetwork
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-39379

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Geonetwork dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork fixed: Latest secure release
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.geonetwork-opensource</groupId>
    <artifactId>geonetwork</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork fixed: Latest secure release
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.geonetwork-opensource</groupId>
    <artifactId>geonetwork</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork fixed: 4.2.15
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.geonetwork-opensource</groupId>
    <artifactId>geonetwork</artifactId>
    <version>4.2.15</version>
</dependency>
org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork fixed: 4.4.10
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.geonetwork-opensource</groupId>
    <artifactId>geonetwork</artifactId>
    <version>4.4.10</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.geonetwork-opensource

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-39379, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.geonetwork-opensource

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Geonetwork in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.15), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.geonetwork-opensource command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Geonetwork, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Summary It is possible to craft a URL that causes GeoNetwork to reflect attacker-controlled content into an error page in a way that gets evaluated as a client-side template expression. Combined with known AngularJS sandbox-escape techniques, this can be used to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser (reflected Cross-Site Scripting via client-side template injection). ### Details When a user requests a service URL that does not exist or that they are not authorized to access, GeoNetwork shows an error page that reflects part of the original request back to the user without adequately neutralizing it for the context it is rendered in. Because this error page is an AngularJS application, attacker-controlled content in the reflected value can be interpreted as a template expression and evaluated once the page loads in the victim's browser, rather than being displayed as inert text. ### Impact An attacker can trick a user (including an administrator) into visiting a crafted link. The resulting script execution runs in the context of the victim's authenticated session and can be used to exfiltrate information or perform actions on the victim's behalf. For example, an attacker could inject a fake login form that looks identical to the legitimate GeoNetwork login page to harvest credentials. GeoNetwork 3.x and 4.0.x are archived/unmaintained and will not receive a fix for this issue. Instances running those lines should upgrade to a supported release (4.2.15 or later, or 4.4.10 or later).

CVE-2026-39379 Affected Geonetwork Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.154.4.10
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork
Maven
≥ 3.0.0
≤ 3.12.12
org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork
Maven
≥ 4.0.0-alpha.1
≤ 4.0.6
org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork
Maven
≥ 4.2.0
< 4.2.15
4.2.15
org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork
Maven
≥ 4.4.0
< 4.4.10
4.4.10

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-39379?
CVE-2026-39379 is a security vulnerability in Geonetwork involving GeoNetwork has reflected XSS through client-side template injection under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Geonetwork versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.15, 4.4.10 across affected packages: org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork.
What version fixes CVE-2026-39379?
Upgrading to 4.2.15, 4.4.10 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is geonetwork affected?
Yes, org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release, 4.2.15, 4.4.10. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release, 4.2.15, 4.4.10 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-39379?
CVE-2026-39379 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-39379?
CVE-2026-39379 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-39379?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.geonetwork-opensource'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2v4m-fw6c-g78f",
  "modified" : "2026-07-01T17:56:51Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-01T17:56:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-39379" ],
  "summary" : "GeoNetwork has reflected XSS through client-side template injection",
  "details" : "### Summary\nIt is possible to craft a URL that causes GeoNetwork to reflect attacker-controlled content into an error page in a way that gets evaluated as a client-side template expression. Combined with known AngularJS sandbox-escape techniques, this can be used to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser (reflected Cross-Site Scripting via client-side template injection).\n\n### Details\nWhen a user requests a service URL that does not exist or that they are not authorized to access, GeoNetwork shows an error page that reflects part of the original request back to the user without adequately neutralizing it for the context it is rendered in. Because this error page is an AngularJS application, attacker-controlled content in the reflected value can be interpreted as a template expression and evaluated once the page loads in the victim's browser, rather than being displayed as inert text.\n\n### Impact\nAn attacker can trick a user (including an administrator) into visiting a crafted link. The resulting script execution runs in the context of the victim's authenticated session and can be used to exfiltrate information or perform actions on the victim's behalf. For example, an attacker could inject a fake login form that looks identical to the legitimate GeoNetwork login page to harvest credentials.\n\nGeoNetwork 3.x and 4.0.x are archived/unmaintained and will not receive a fix for this issue. Instances running those lines should upgrade to a supported release (4.2.15 or later, or 4.4.10 or later).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.12.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0-alpha.1"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.0.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.15"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.2.14"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.geonetwork-opensource:geonetwork"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.4.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.4.10"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.4.9"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/geonetwork/core-geonetwork/security/advisories/GHSA-2v4m-fw6c-g78f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/geonetwork/core-geonetwork"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1336", "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-07-01T17:56:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}