CVE-2026-81525

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

PHP MongoDB Client Library Namespace Injection Vulnerability

Publication date: 2026-08-27

Last updated on: 2026-09-29

Assigner: MongoDB, Inc.

Description

The MongoDB client library for PHP does not sufficiently sanitize special elements in application-supplied namespace identifiers before using them to construct the target namespace for database operations. An application that incorporates untrusted text into these identifiers may have operations silently directed at a different storage location than the one the application intended.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-27

Last Modified

2026-09-29

Generated

2026-10-08

AI Q&A

2026-08-28

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-06

NVD

CVE-2026-81525

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
mongodb	php_driver	From 2.0.0 (inc) to 2.4.1 (exc)
mongodb	php_driver	to 1.21.6 (exc)
mongodb	php_library	to 1.21.4 (exc)
mongodb	php_library	From 2.0.0 (inc) to 2.4.1 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-943	The product generates a query intended to access or manipulate data in a data store such as a database, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that can modify the intended logic of the query.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

The MongoDB PHP client library does not properly sanitize special characters in namespace identifiers provided by applications. This flaw allows untrusted input to alter the target namespace for database operations, potentially redirecting operations to unintended storage locations without detection.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check if your MongoDB PHP driver or library versions are outdated. Use commands like 'composer show mongodb/mongodb' or 'pecl list | grep mongo' to inspect installed versions. Compare them against the patched versions (1.21.7 for driver, 2.4.1 for library).

Review application logs for database operations using untrusted namespace identifiers. Look for unusual database or collection names containing special characters like null bytes or periods.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to manipulate database operations, leading to data leakage, unauthorized access, or corruption. Applications using untrusted input in namespace identifiers are at risk of silent data breaches or misdirected operations.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could violate data integrity and access control requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. Unauthorized data access or manipulation may lead to non-compliance, resulting in legal penalties, reputational damage, and loss of trust.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade the MongoDB PHP driver to version 1.21.7 and the MongoDB PHP library to version 2.4.1 immediately. Use commands like 'composer require mongodb/mongodb:2.4.1' or 'pecl upgrade mongo' to apply updates.

Audit application code to ensure no untrusted input is used in namespace identifiers. Validate and sanitize all user-supplied database or collection names before processing.

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