CVE-2026-5394 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in pimcore/pimcore (composer), affecting versions <= 12.3.6. It is fixed in 12.3.7.
Description An authenticated administrative user who can import or save DataObject class definitions can inject attacker-controlled composite index metadata and trigger unintended SQL execution in the backend. The vulnerable flow accepts compositeIndices from imported JSON, stores the values without strict validation, and later concatenates them directly into ALTER TABLE ... DROP INDEX and ALTER TABLE ... ADD INDEX statements executed through Doctrine DBAL. Although the original report focused on compositeIndices.indexkey, independent code review shows that the strongest and most reliable injection point is compositeIndices.indexcolumns, because it is inserted verbatim inside the ADD INDEX (...) clause. This permits injection of additional ALTER TABLE subclauses against Pimcore object tables without relying on stacked queries. Vulnerability Root cause Source: Pimcore\Model\DataObject\ClassDefinition\Service::importClassDefinitionFromJson() accepts compositeIndices directly from imported JSON. Assignment: Pimcore\Model\DataObject\ClassDefinition::setCompositeIndices() does not enforce an allowlist for index names or column names. The only special handling is a ManyToOne relation rewrite to id and type, which is not a security control. Sink: Pimcore\Model\DataObject\Traits\CompositeIndexTrait::updateCompositeIndices() builds raw SQL with string concatenation and executes it via $this->db->executeQuery(...). Missing protection: quoteIdentifier() is used for the SHOW INDEXES query, but not for the dynamic ALTER TABLE statements. No server-side schema validation restricts indexkey or indexcolumns to known safe identifier characters. Confirmed source-to-sink path importClassDefinitionFromJson() decodes attacker-controlled JSON and forwards compositeIndices. setCompositeIndices() stores those values without sanitizing identifier content. ClassDefinition::save() reaches ClassDefinition\Dao::update(). Dao::update() calls updateCompositeIndices() for: objectstore<classId> objectquery<classId> Localizedfield\Dao also calls updateCompositeIndices() for: localized query tables localized store tables Why this is exploitable The vulnerable ADD INDEX statement is built as: $columnName is produced from implode(',', $columns) and is not quoted or validated. A malicious indexcolumns element such as: produces SQL of the form: This remains a single ALTER TABLE statement, so the base vulnerability does not depend on multi-statement support. The attacker can inject additional DDL clauses affecting the target Pimcore object table. Impact The issue allows a privileged attacker to alter backend SQL behavior during class-definition import/save and modify schema on Pimcore object tables associated with the affected class. Practical impact includes: unauthorized schema modification on object query/store tables backend denial of service by breaking expected table layout data integrity impact for DataObject storage and queries indexkey is also concatenated into SQL without proper identifier escaping, but the most defensible exploitation path is through index_columns. Relevant code: models/DataObject/ClassDefinition/Service.php:92-137 models/DataObject/ClassDefinition.php:994-1006 models/DataObject/Traits/CompositeIndexTrait.php:30-85 models/DataObject/ClassDefinition/Dao.php:217-218 models/DataObject/Localizedfield/Dao.php:945-951 PoC Application-level PoC Preconditions: valid authenticated administrative session ability to import or save a class definition containing compositeIndices The original report reproduced the issue through an authenticated Studio endpoint: Minimal malicious JSON fragment: Reproduction: Authenticate as an administrator with permission to manage/import class definitions. Export an existing class definition or prepare a valid class-definition JSON document. Replace only the compositeIndices section with the payload above. Import the modified definition or save the class through the administrative workflow. Expected result: Pimcore reaches updateCompositeIndices() during class save/import. The backend executes an attacker-influenced ALTER TABLE statement against the target object table. The affected class table is modified unexpectedly, for example by dropping a column or otherwise changing schema. Minimal source-level confirmation The behavior is directly visible from the code path: No escaping or allowlist validation is applied to $columns before they are interpolated into SQL. Evidence of Exploitation Video of exploitation: https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/64a49147-12a5-4550-ba22-cb4383523557 Static evidence: <img width="3004" height="1686" alt="Dragons-img" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2e920636-ce7e-4f8b-b80c-88fb3c4c5299" /> System Information Pimcore Platform Version v12.3.3 Database layer: doctrine/dbal ^4.4 Operating System: Any Resources Github Repository: https://github.com/pimcore/pimcore Security: https://github.com/pimcore/pimcore/security This issue was discovered by Oscar Uribe, Security Researcher at Fluid Attacks, who reached out to Pimcore. As part of standard disclosure measures, Fluid Attacks follows a timeline (outlined at https://fluidattacks.com/advisories/policy) that is aligned with ISO/IEC 29147:2018 and ISO/IEC 30111:2019. In short, the timeline works as follows: Fluid Attacks requests acknowledgment of the report within a few days of project maintainers first accessing it, and from there, Fluid Attacks is glad to coordinate a joint disclosure date with the affected party, typically within 90 days of the initial discovery. This allows the maintainers' team reasonable time to assess, develop, and release a fix. The CVE ID "CVE-2026-5394" has been reserved for this issue, and the advisory will eventually be published at https://fluidattacks.com/advisories/dragons.
Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access. Typical impact: data disclosure or modification.
composer
pimcore/pimcore (<= 12.3.6)pimcore/pimcore → 12.3.7 (composer)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.
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Upgrade pimcore/pimcore to 12.3.7 or later to resolve this vulnerability.
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CVE-2026-5394 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in pimcore/pimcore (composer), affecting versions <= 12.3.6. It is fixed in 12.3.7. Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access.
pimcore/pimcore (composer) versions <= 12.3.6 is affected.
Yes. CVE-2026-5394 is fixed in 12.3.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-5394 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
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.
Upgrade pimcore/pimcore to 12.3.7 or later.