Apache Polaris has an Improper Input Validation issue

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS 4.0

9.4 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H · score source

EPSS

• CVE-2026-42812: 0.36% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 30.39 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

In Apache Iceberg, the table's metadata files are control files: they tell readers which data files belong to the table and which table version to read. write.metadata.path is an optional table property that tells Polaris where to write those metadata files. For a table already registered in a Polaris-managed catalog, changing only that property through an ALTER TABLE-style settings change (not a row-level INSERT, SELECT, UPDATE, or DELETE) bypasses the commit-time branch that is supposed to revalidate storage locations. The full persisted / credential-vending variant requires the affected catalog to have polaris.config.allow.unstructured.table.location=true, with allowedLocations broad enough to include the attacker-chosen target. allowedLocations is the admin-configured allowlist of storage paths that the catalog is allowed to use. Public project materials suggest that this flag is a real supported compatibility / layout mode, not just a contrived lab-only prerequisite. In that…

Published by the source

4 May 2026, 18:30 UTC

Last modified by the source

31 Aug 2026, 22:49 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:55 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-w76p-3cgp-qfcm

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-42812

Advisory: Apache Polaris has an Improper Input Validation issue
IDs: CVE-2026-42812, GHSA-w76p-3cgp-qfcm
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-42812 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:55 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.4)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.apache.polaris:polaris-runtime-service 1.4.1. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.apache.polaris:polaris-runtime-service: affected >= 0.9.0, < 1.4.1; fixed in 1.4.1

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.apache.polaris:polaris-runtime-service: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on org.apache.polaris:polaris-runtime-service.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-w76p-3cgp-qfcm (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-w76p-3cgp-qfcm lists affected ranges: Maven org.apache.polaris:polaris-runtime-service >=0.9.0 <1.4.1)

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