# CVE-2021-28398: Command injection in n/a

> Privileged attackers can execute arbitrary OS commands via the directory harvester before-script in GeoNetwork.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Sep 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cf8p-c88c-h9jf

## What is CVE-2021-28398?

CVE-2021-28398 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Sep 2022. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A privileged attacker in GeoNetwork before 3.12.0 and 4.x before 4.0.4 can use the directory harvester before-script to execute arbitrary OS commands remotely on the hosting infrastructure. A User Administrator or Administrator account is required to perform this. This occurs in the runBeforeScript method in harvesters/src/main/java/org/fao/geonet/kernel/harvest/harvester/localfilesystem/LocalFilesystemHarvester.java. The earliest affected version is 3.4.0.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-28398?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Osgeo Geonetwork.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-28398?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-28398 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-28398 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-28398 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2022-50899](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50899/): Geonetwork 4.2.0 - XML External Entity (XXE) (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2024-32037](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-32037/): GeoNetwork vulnerable to search end-point information disclosure in response headers (not scored)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-28398 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-28398 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Sep 2022. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-28398 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28398/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28398/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-28398
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28398
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-28398

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28398/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.