CVE-2026-40563
Published: 04 May 2026
Description
Description: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') vulnerability in Apache Atlas Apache Atlas exposes a DSL search endpoint that accepts user-supplied query strings. Attacker can alter Gremlin traversal logic within grammar-allowed characters to access unintended data Affect Version:…
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This issue affects Apache Atlas: from 0.8 through 2.4.0. For the affect version >= 2.0, vulnerability is only when Atlas is deployed with below non-default configuration. atlas.dsl.executor.traversal=false Mitigation: Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.5.0, which fixes the issue.
Likely Mitigating ControlsAI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.
Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.
Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.
Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.
Security SummaryAI
CVE-2026-40563 is an Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') vulnerability, classified under CWE-94, affecting Apache Atlas versions from 0.8 through 2.4.0. The issue resides in the DSL search endpoint, which accepts user-supplied query strings, allowing attackers to alter Gremlin traversal logic using grammar-allowed characters to access unintended data. For versions 2.0 and later, the vulnerability is present only under the non-default configuration atlas.dsl.executor.traversal=false.
An attacker with low privileges (PR:L), such as an authenticated user, can exploit this over the network (AV:N) with low complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction (UI:N). Successful exploitation enables high confidentiality impact (C:H) by accessing unauthorized data and low integrity impact (I:L), with no availability impact (A:N) and unchanged scope (S:U), as reflected in the CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1.
Apache advisories recommend upgrading to version 2.5.0, which resolves the issue. Details are available in the Apache mailing list announcement at https://lists.apache.org/thread/vd0oggmqxl2k1skm0z2f9p0plx7jhmfl and the oss-security mailing list at http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/03/9.
Details
- CWE(s)
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
The CVE describes a remote code/query injection vulnerability in the public-facing DSL search endpoint of Apache Atlas (a web/metadata application), directly enabling attackers to exploit the exposed service for unauthorized data access.