CVE-2026-42072

The --address CLI flag (and NORNICDB_ADDRESS / server.host config key) is plumbed through to the HTTP server correctly but never reaches the Bolt server config. The Bolt listener therefore always binds to the wildcard address (all interfaces), regardless of what the user configures.

On a LAN, this exposes the graph database, with its default admin:password credentials, to any device sharing the network.

Version

• nornicdb v1.0.39
• Built from commit afe7c9d on main
• Platform: macOS (darwin 25.4.0, arm64)

Reproduction

$ nornicdb serve --address 127.0.0.1 --bolt-port 7687 --http-port 7474 ...

Output claims Bolt is on localhost:

Bolt server listening on bolt://localhost:7687

But the actual socket:

$ netstat -an -p tcp | grep 7687
tcp46      0      0  *.7687                 *.*                    LISTEN

$ lsof -iTCP:7687 -sTCP:LISTEN -n -P
nornicdb ... IPv6 ... TCP *:7687 (LISTEN)

HTTP port is correctly bound:

tcp4  127.0.0.1.7474   *.*  LISTEN

Reachable from another host on the LAN:

$ nc -z 192.168.x.y 7687
Connection to 192.168.x.y port 7687 [tcp/*] succeeded!

Setting NORNICDB_BOLT_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1 or server.host: "127.0.0.1" in config.yaml has no effect on the Bolt listener.

Root Cause

In pkg/bolt/server.go:774-776:

func (s *Server) ListenAndServe() error {
    addr := fmt.Sprintf(":%d", s.config.Port)
    listener, err := net.Listen("tcp", addr)
    ...
}

bolt.Config (line 474) has no Host/Address/Addr field, only Port. The CLI flag --address is stored in a local variable in cmd/nornicdb/main.go:80 and used to format user-facing log output (line 637–644), but is never copied into boltConfig at line 600–609 when Bolt is initialized.

Since ListenAndServe calls net.Listen("tcp", ":7687") with an empty host, Go binds the wildcard socket on all interfaces.

Security Impact

• Default admin:password credentials + wildcard binding = anyone on the same WiFi can issue arbitrary Cypher queries (read, write, delete nodes) against NornicDB instances running with default setup.
• Users following the README will reasonably assume --address 127.0.0.1 (the documented default) binds both protocols to localhost.
• Workaround: host-firewall rules (e.g. macOS pf) blocking non-loopback → 7687. Not discoverable from the docs.

CVE-2026-42072 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.0.42-hotfix); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. Add a Host string field to bolt.Config (default "127.0.0.1", matching the CLI flag default).
2. In cmd/nornicdb/main.go around line 601, wire it through:

   boltConfig.Host = address
   boltConfig.Port = boltPort
   

3. In pkg/bolt/server.go:775, use the host:

   addr := net.JoinHostPort(s.config.Host, strconv.Itoa(s.config.Port))
   

1. What is CVE-2026-42072? CVE-2026-42072 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in github.com/orneryd/nornicdb (go), affecting versions < 1.0.42-hotfix. It is fixed in 1.0.42-hotfix.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-42072? CVE-2026-42072 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/orneryd/nornicdb are affected by CVE-2026-42072? github.com/orneryd/nornicdb (go) versions < 1.0.42-hotfix is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-42072? Yes. CVE-2026-42072 is fixed in 1.0.42-hotfix. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-42072 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-42072 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-42072 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-42072? Upgrade github.com/orneryd/nornicdb to 1.0.42-hotfix or later.