CVE-2026-3118
GraphQL Injection in Red Hat Backstage Causes DoS
Publication date: 2026-02-25
Last updated on: 2026-05-05
Assigner: Red Hat, Inc.
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| redhat | developer_hub | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-89 | The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'CVE-2026-3118 is a GraphQL Injection vulnerability found in the Orchestrator Plugin of the Red Hat Developer Hub (Backstage). It occurs because the system does not properly validate or neutralize special characters in user input that is embedded directly into backend GraphQL queries.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'An authenticated user can exploit this by sending specially crafted JSON payloads with malicious GraphQL fragments, such as altered "orderBy" or "filter" values. This manipulation breaks the query structure, causing unhandled exceptions that crash the entire Backstage application.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'When the application crashes, it automatically restarts, but this leads to a platform-wide Denial of Service (DoS), temporarily preventing legitimate users from accessing the platform.'}] [1]
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can cause a platform-wide Denial of Service (DoS) by crashing the entire Backstage application and forcing it to restart.
As a result, legitimate users temporarily lose access to the Red Hat Developer Hub platform, which can disrupt development workflows and reduce service availability.
Since the exploit can be performed remotely by any authenticated user without additional privileges or user interaction, it poses a significant risk to service continuity.
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:
I don't know
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring for abnormal crashes or restarts of the Red Hat Developer Hub (Backstage) application, specifically related to the Orchestrator Plugin. Since the issue arises from specially crafted GraphQL queries submitted by authenticated users, inspecting API request logs for unusual or malformed GraphQL payloads, especially those manipulating "orderBy" or "filter" fields, can help identify exploitation attempts.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'There are no specific commands provided to detect this vulnerability directly, but general approaches include:'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Review application logs for repeated crashes or restarts of the Backstage application.'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Analyze API request logs for suspicious GraphQL queries containing unusual or malformed JSON payloads targeting the Orchestrator Plugin.'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Use network monitoring tools to capture and inspect traffic to the Backstage API endpoints for anomalous GraphQL injection patterns.'}] [1]
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Immediate mitigation steps include restricting access to the Red Hat Developer Hub (Backstage) Orchestrator Plugin to trusted authenticated users only, as exploitation requires authentication.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Additionally, monitoring and blocking suspicious GraphQL queries that contain malformed or specially crafted inputs targeting the "orderBy" or "filter" fields can reduce the risk of exploitation.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Applying any available patches or updates from Red Hat addressing this vulnerability is strongly recommended once they are released.'}] [1]