CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-40083NVD status: Analyzed

cacti: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-40083 is a high-severity improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command vulnerability in cacti, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. Affected cacti versions: < 1.2.31. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.5% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of cacti you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Cacticacti< 1.2.31Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (github.com).

Official description

Cacti is an open source performance and fault management framework. Versions 1.2.30 and prior have SQL Injection through unsanitized unserialize+implode in managers.php. At line 756 of managers.php, the application assigns $selected_items by calling cacti_unserialize(stripslashes(gnrv('selected_graphs_array'))). The cacti_unserialize() function calls unserialize() with allowed_classes set to false, which prevents object injection but still allows arbitrary string arrays to be deserialized. Then, at lines 760 to 766, the deserialized array values are passed directly into db_execute('DELETE FROM snmpagent_managers WHERE id IN (' . implode(',', $selected_items) . ')'), where they are imploded into the SQL statement without any integer validation, resulting in SQL Injection when using SNMP agent management permissions. This issue has been fixed in version 1.2.31.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command

The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using persistence layers such as Hibernate or Enterprise Java Beans, which can provide significant protection against SQL injection if used properly.
  • For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
  • When the set of acceptable objects, such as filenames or URLs, is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames or URLs, and reject all other inputs.

More Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command vulnerabilities (CWE-89)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Patches and release notes

Other vulnerabilities in cacti

All cacti vulnerabilities

Recent Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command vulnerabilities

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