CVE-2026-13069 Overview
CVE-2026-13069 is a resource exhaustion vulnerability in MongoDB affecting the Queryable Encryption feature. An authenticated user can send a crafted find payload containing an unvalidated field that controls an internal computation loop. The server then consumes excessive CPU cycles or exhausts available memory. The resulting resource contention degrades availability for concurrent database operations and can render the server unresponsive.
The flaw is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling. Exploitation requires only low-privileged authenticated access over the network, no user interaction, and no elevated permissions.
Critical Impact
Any authenticated MongoDB user can trigger CPU or memory exhaustion on the server, disrupting availability for legitimate workloads.
Affected Products
- MongoDB Server deployments with Queryable Encryption enabled
- Refer to the MongoDB Jira Issue SERVER-127566 for specific version details
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-07-22 - CVE-2026-13069 published to NVD
- 2026-07-22 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-13069
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the query processing path for MongoDB Queryable Encryption. When a client submits a find operation against an encrypted collection, the server parses a payload that includes parameters governing an internal computation loop. One of these fields is accepted without proper bounds validation.
An attacker can set this field to a value that forces the server into a long-running or unbounded computation. The loop consumes CPU time and allocates memory proportional to the attacker-supplied value. Concurrent operations experience latency, connection queuing, and in severe cases out-of-memory termination of the mongod process.
Because the vulnerable code path executes after authentication succeeds, exploitation does not require administrative privileges. A user with basic read permissions on an encrypted collection can trigger the condition.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing input validation on a field within the Queryable Encryption find payload. The affected parameter directly controls loop iterations or buffer sizing inside the encryption query engine. Absent upper bounds, the server trusts client-supplied values and dedicates resources until limits are hit at the operating system level.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based. An authenticated client submits a malformed find command targeting a Queryable Encryption collection. Repeating the request across multiple sessions amplifies the impact and can saturate all worker threads. See the MongoDB Jira Issue SERVER-127566 for engineering details.
No verified proof-of-concept code has been published. The vulnerability is described in prose only, and no exploit has been observed in the wild.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13069
Indicators of Compromise
- Sustained CPU saturation on mongod processes without a corresponding increase in legitimate query volume
- Rapid memory growth followed by out-of-memory kills or process restarts on MongoDB nodes
- Query profiler entries showing long-running find operations against Queryable Encryption collections from a single authenticated user
- Elevated operation latency and connection pool exhaustion reported by application tiers
Detection Strategies
- Enable the MongoDB database profiler at level 1 or 2 and alert on find operations exceeding baseline execution time on encrypted collections
- Correlate authentication logs with resource metrics to identify users whose queries coincide with CPU or memory spikes
- Ingest mongod logs and host telemetry into a centralized data lake to run cross-source detection queries
Monitoring Recommendations
- Track serverStatus metrics including opcounters, mem.resident, and globalLock.currentQueue for anomalies
- Set thresholds on per-user query duration and abort operations exceeding acceptable limits with maxTimeMS
- Monitor for repeated client disconnections following heavy queries, which can indicate probing behavior
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13069
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the MongoDB security patch referenced in SERVER-127566 as soon as it is available for your release train
- Audit user roles and remove read access to Queryable Encryption collections from accounts that do not require it
- Rotate credentials for accounts with unclear provenance and enforce strong authentication on all database users
Patch Information
MongoDB has tracked the fix under Jira issue SERVER-127566. Consult the MongoDB Jira Issue SERVER-127566 and official MongoDB release notes to identify the specific patched versions applicable to your deployment channel.
Workarounds
- Restrict network access to mongod instances so only trusted application tiers can authenticate
- Enforce query timeouts by requiring clients to pass maxTimeMS and rejecting long-running operations at the proxy or driver layer
- Apply per-user resource governance and cap concurrent operations for accounts that access Queryable Encryption collections
- Disable Queryable Encryption on collections where it is not strictly required until patching is complete
# Configuration example: enforce a server-side operation time limit via a query
# submitted by trusted middleware
mongosh --eval 'db.adminCommand({ setParameter: 1, cursorTimeoutMillis: 30000 })'
# Example: run a find with an explicit maxTimeMS to bound execution
mongosh --eval 'db.encryptedColl.find({}).maxTimeMS(5000)'
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
