Description

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in Apache Syncope. An administrator with adequate entitlements can achieve execution of arbitrary SQL via stacked queries, leveraging unsanitized entityKey and opEvent parameters. This issue affects Apache Syncope: from 3.0.0-M0 through 3.0.16, from 4.0.0-M0 Through 4.0.7, from 4.1.0-M0 through 4.1.2. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.0.8 / 4.1.3, which fix this issue.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "9.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-14T13:18:46.363Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-14T13:18:46.363Z",
  "executiveSummary": "Apache Syncope is susceptible to an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command, commonly known as SQL Injection.\nThe vulnerability originates from the failure to sanitize user-supplied input within the entityKey and opEvent parameters, which are processed during internal query execution.\nBy manipulating these parameters, a malicious actor possessing administrative privileges can inject arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to unauthorized data extraction, modification, or full database compromise via stacked queries.\nThe vulnerability impacts Apache Syncope versions 3.0.0-M0 through 3.0.16, 4.0.0-M0 through 4.0.7, and 4.1.0-M0 through 4.1.2.\nThe risk profile is significant as it allows for bypass of application-level security controls, enabling the execution of administrative database operations that deviate from intended functionality.\nSuccessful exploitation requires the attacker to have already achieved administrative entitlements within the Syncope environment. This vulnerability highlights a critical failure in input validation mechanisms during the construction of database queries, necessitating immediate patching.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is a classic SQL Injection (SQLi) flaw occurring within the backend logic of Apache Syncope. The root cause is the improper handling of the entityKey and opEvent parameters, which are concatenated into SQL statements without adequate parameterization or sanitization.\nWhen an administrator submits requests containing these parameters, the application fails to distinguish between legitimate input data and executable SQL control characters. Because the database driver or underlying infrastructure supports stacked queries, an attacker can terminate the intended query using a semicolon (;) and append malicious SQL commands that the database engine will subsequently execute with the privileges of the application's database user.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: 1) The attacker authenticates as an administrative user, satisfying the entitlement requirements. 2) The attacker crafts a malicious request payload containing specially formatted SQL sequences within the entityKey or opEvent fields. 3) The application receives this input and integrates it into a query string intended for the persistence layer. 4) The database engine parses the resulting string, executing both the original intended command and the attacker's injected arbitrary SQL commands. 5) The injected SQL executes in the context of the service, allowing for arbitrary read, write, or deletion operations against the database.\nThis vulnerability is particularly severe because it allows for stacked queries, which drastically expands the attacker's capability beyond simple data retrieval. An attacker could potentially grant themselves additional privileges, modify audit logs, or manipulate identity data directly at the database level, bypassing all business logic validation implemented within the Java application layer.\nThe affected versions include Apache Syncope 3.0.0-M0 through 3.0.16, 4.0.0-M0 through 4.0.7, and 4.1.0-M0 through 4.1.2. The vulnerability persists in all environments where these versions are deployed, as the flaw resides within the core query handling logic of the software. Mitigation requires upgrading to secure versions where input handling has been refactored to utilize bind variables or strongly typed database access layers."
}