Loading...
Skip to main content

CVE-2026-44521 — elFinder MySQL has a SQL Injection in...

HIGH

elFinder MySQL has a SQL Injection in its Volume Driver (elFinderVolumeMySQL)

Published May 11, 2026Updated September 10, 2026Source: osv

Summary

## Summary An authenticated SQL injection vulnerability in the elFinder MySQL volume driver (`elFinderVolumeMySQL`) allows any logged-in user, including users with read-only access to the affected volume, to inject SQL through a crafted `target` file hash. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized data disclosure and denial of service. This vulnerability only affects installations configured to use the `MySQL` volume driver. Installations using the default `LocalFileSystem` driver are not affected. ## Description A vulnerability in elFinder's MySQL volume driver (`elFinderVolumeMySQL`) allows authenticated SQL injection through a crafted file hash passed via the `target` parameter. The issue is caused by two behaviors working together: 1. File hashes are decoded without validating that the decoded value is a valid MySQL object identifier. 2. The decoded value is then used in MySQL driver queries, including `cacheDir()`, `_joinPath()`, `_stat()`, and `_fopen()`. Because the MySQL storage schema uses numeric `id` and `parent_id` values, an authenticated user can supply a crafted hash that alters the intended SQL query logic. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized data disclosure and denial of service. The extent of impact depends on the privileges granted to the configured MySQL account. This vulnerability only affects installations configured to use the `MySQL` volume driver. Installations using the default `LocalFileSystem` driver are not affected. ## Impact An authenticated user, including a user with read-only access to the affected volume, can exploit this issue to: - disclose data accessible to the configured MySQL account, including file contents stored by the driver and database metadata - trigger denial of service through expensive or unexpectedly broad query results that can lead to excessive memory consumption The severity of data exposure depends on the privileges granted to the configured MySQL account.

Advisory Timeline

  • First published May 11, 2026 (154 days ago).
  • Last revised September 10, 2026 — 121 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Composer
Update studio-42/elfinder to 2.1.68 or later
composer require "studio-42/elfinder:^2.1.68"

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

Affects 1 ecosystem: packagist (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
studio-42/elfinder
packagist
2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.0.6 (+71 more)2.1.68

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 8.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-44521?
elFinder MySQL has a SQL Injection in its Volume Driver (elFinderVolumeMySQL) This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of HIGH (CVSS score: 8.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-44521?
CVE-2026-44521 affects studio-42/elfinder. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-44521 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
8.8

High exploitability or significant impact. Prioritize remediation within days.

Also Known As

GHSA-c3gj-q88f-7hqj

Related CVEs

  • CVE-2019-9194
    CRITICAL

    elFinder command injection vulnerability in the PHP connector

  • CVE-2024-38909
    HIGH

    Studio 42 elFinder vulnerable to Incorrect Access Control

  • CVE-2026-41247
    HIGH

    elFinder: Command injection in resize background color parameter when using ImageMagick CLI

  • CVE-2026-81889
    HIGH

    elFinder: SSRF protection bypass via DNS rebinding in the `fsock_get_contents()` fallback

  • CVE-2026-81891
    HIGH

    elFinder: ZIP extraction bypasses uploadDeny MIME filter allowing PHP file upload (RCE)

  • CVE-2026-65954
    HIGH

    PHPCSUtils: Remote code execution via eval() in AbstractArrayDeclarationSniff::getActualArrayKey()

  • CVE-2026-61825
    HIGH

    code16/sharp has a stored XSS via data-html-content Sanitizer Bypass

Check if you're affected

Scan your dependencies to see if this vulnerability affects your projects.

Scan Your Dependencies