Description

Improper input validation in Power BI allows an authorized attacker to execute code over a network.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-11T17:19:00.723Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-11T17:19:00.723Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability involves improper input validation affecting Power BI, potentially allowing authenticated attackers to achieve remote code execution over a network. The flaw arises from insufficient validation and sanitization of input data processed by the application, which can be leveraged by an adversary to execute arbitrary code within the context of the vulnerable system.\nThe impact of successful exploitation is critical, as it grants the attacker the ability to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected host. The attack vector requires network connectivity and a level of authorization within the environment, meaning the attacker must possess valid credentials or access to initiate the malicious interaction.\nRisk implications include full system compromise, unauthorized access to sensitive business intelligence data, and potential lateral movement across the network. Organizations utilizing the affected Power BI deployment face significant exposure if input handling mechanisms fail to properly validate or sanitize incoming data streams prior to internal processing and execution.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability resides in improper input validation within the Power BI data processing pipeline. The application accepts structured or unstructured input over the network without enforcing strict boundary checks, type constraints, or sanitization routines. When maliciously crafted input is supplied by an authorized user, the underlying parsing or rendering engine fails to adequately neutralize malicious payloads, leading to unsafe memory manipulation or unintended command execution.\nExploitation of this flaw requires the attacker to have network access to the Power BI service and valid authorization to interact with the vulnerable component. The attack flow begins when the adversary crafts a specialized payload designed to exploit the input validation weakness. This payload is transmitted over the network via the protocol utilized by the application for data ingestion or processing.\nUpon receipt, the vulnerable component processes the input without proper verification. Because the input contains malicious instructions disguised as valid operational data, the internal parser passes the unvalidated data to execution handlers or memory structures. This triggers a breakdown in execution flow, allowing the injected payload to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the service account running the affected process.\nThe affected component is integral to Power BI data handling mechanisms, operating across network boundaries to receive and process client inputs. Depending on the system architecture and privileges associated with the application process, successful execution of the payload can lead to immediate post-exploitation activities, including privilege escalation, access to underlying file systems, extraction of stored credentials, and further compromise of the internal network infrastructure."
}