MEDIUM CVSS 6.5
Published: 2026-01-13

CVE-2022-50899

osgeo geonetwork Security Advisory (CVE-2022-50899)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
Seeking technical exploit breakdowns or verified PoC code for CVE-2022-50899?
🔬 Search Writeups & Exploit Archive →

CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2022-50899 impacting osgeo geonetwork. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Geonetwork 3.10 through 4.2.0 contains an XML external entity vulnerability in PDF rendering that allows attackers to retrieve arbitrary files from the server. Attackers can exploit the insecure XML parser by crafting a malicious XML document with external entity references to read system files through the baseURL parameter in PDF creation requests.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product osgeo / geonetwork
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-611

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2022-50899 impacting osgeo geonetwork.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2022-50899.yaml
id: cve-2022-50899

info:
  name: osgeo geonetwork - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2022-50899 affecting osgeo geonetwork.
    Evaluation: Geonetwork 3.10 through 4.2.0 contains an XML external entity vulnerability in PDF rendering that allows attackers to retrieve arbitrary files from th...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2022-50899
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
    cvss-score: 6.5
    cve-id: CVE-2022-50899
    cwe-id: CWE-611
  tags: cve,cve-2022-50899,osgeo,geonetwork,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "geonetwork"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2022-50899.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2022-50899
# Target: osgeo geonetwork | CVSS: 6.5 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2022-50899 (osgeo geonetwork)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against osgeo geonetwork scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2022-50899.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2022-50899
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install geonetwork 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade geonetwork 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update geonetwork

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i geonetwork 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i geonetwork

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2022-50899 in osgeo geonetwork?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update osgeo geonetwork packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2022-50899?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2022-50899?

CVE-2022-50899 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 6.5 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
6.5
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2022-50899
Weakness CWE-611
Vendor osgeo
Product geonetwork
Published 2026-01-13
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N