CVE-2026-85985

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

MariaDB CONNECT Engine File-Access UDF Privilege Bypass

Publication date: 2026-10-16

Last updated on: 2026-10-20

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. From 10.6.1 until 10.6.28, 10.11.19, 11.4.13, 11.8.9, 12.3.3, and 13.0.2, the CONNECT engine plugin file-access UDFs json_file(), bson_file(), jfile_make(), bfile_make(), and jbin_file() are affected because each does not enforce FILE privilege or the secure_file_priv setting. A low-privileged attacker can trigger the issue by calling a CONNECT file-access UDF with a filesystem path, then invoke a CONNECT file-access UDF to access a filesystem path and read or write files that the database account is not authorized to access, subject to operating-system permissions. This issue is fixed in versions 10.6.28, 10.11.19, 11.4.13, 11.8.9, 12.3.3, and 13.0.2.

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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-16

Last Modified

2026-10-20

Generated

2026-11-08

AI Q&A

2026-10-16

EPSS Evaluated

2026-11-07

NVD

CVE-2026-85985

EUVD

EUVD-2026-102923

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
mariadb	mariadb	From 10.11.1 (inc) to 10.11.19 (exc)
mariadb	mariadb	From 10.6.1 (inc) to 10.6.28 (exc)
mariadb	mariadb	From 11.4.1 (inc) to 11.4.13 (exc)
mariadb	mariadb	From 11.8.1 (inc) to 11.8.9 (exc)
mariadb	mariadb	From 12.3.1 (inc) to 12.3.3 (exc)
mariadb	mariadb	13.0.1

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-862	The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-85985 is a vulnerability in MariaDB server where the CONNECT engine plugin's file-access User Defined Functions (UDFs) like json_file() and bson_file() ignore FILE privilege and secure_file_priv settings. This allows low-privileged attackers to read or write files on the filesystem, subject to OS permissions, by exploiting these UDFs.

Detection Guidance

Check MariaDB server version with: mysql --version. If running versions between 10.6.1-10.6.27, 10.11.1-10.11.18, 11.4.1-11.4.12, 11.8.1-11.8.8, 12.3.1-12.3.2, or 13.0.1, the system is vulnerable. Verify CONNECT engine plugin presence with SHOW PLUGINS; if present, check for affected UDFs using SHOW FUNCTION STATUS WHERE name IN ('json_file','bson_file','jfile_make','bfile_make','jbin_file').

Inspect file access logs for unusual UDF calls or file operations outside secure_file_priv directories. Monitor for unauthorized file reads/writes in system logs.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to access sensitive files on the server, such as configuration files, logs, or databases, potentially leading to data leaks, unauthorized modifications, or further system compromise. The impact depends on OS permissions but could be severe if critical files are exposed.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could violate compliance requirements like GDPR (data protection) or HIPAA (health data privacy) by enabling unauthorized access to sensitive data. Organizations using affected MariaDB versions may face legal penalties, reputational damage, or audit failures due to insufficient file access controls.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade MariaDB to patched versions: 10.6.28, 10.11.19, 11.4.13, 11.8.9, 12.3.3, or 13.0.2. If immediate upgrade isn't possible, uninstall the CONNECT engine plugin or remove the vulnerable UDFs using UNINSTALL PLUGIN connect; DROP FUNCTION json_file; and similar commands for other UDFs.

Restrict FILE privileges to only trusted users and set secure_file_priv to a restricted directory. Temporarily disable the CONNECT engine if not required.

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