CVE-2026-13337 Overview
CVE-2026-13337 is a Hibernate Query Language (HQL) injection vulnerability in Schneider Electric NetBotz products. An authenticated attacker on an adjacent network can inject malicious HQL statements through the web-service interface or the web UI. The injected query executes against the NetBotz database, exposing stored data and enabling limited tampering. The flaw is tracked as CWE-564: SQL Injection: Hibernate and requires valid user credentials for exploitation. Schneider Electric published details in security notice SEVD-2026-223-02.
Critical Impact
Authenticated adjacent-network users can execute arbitrary HQL queries against the NetBotz database, leading to confidentiality and integrity loss over stored monitoring data.
Affected Products
- Schneider Electric NetBotz (web-service interface)
- Schneider Electric NetBotz (webui)
- Refer to SEVD-2026-223-02 for the full list of affected firmware versions
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-09-01 - CVE CVE-2026-13337 published to NVD
- 2026-09-01 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-13337
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in NetBotz components that build Hibernate queries using untrusted input from authenticated users. Hibernate maps object-oriented queries written in HQL to underlying SQL statements. When user-controlled strings are concatenated into HQL, an attacker can alter query structure and extract or modify data beyond their authorization scope.
Exploitation requires an authenticated session on the NetBotz device and network adjacency, meaning the attacker must reach the management interface from the same broadcast domain or VLAN. The scope is limited to the NetBotz database, and the vector does not directly grant code execution on the host operating system.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements in HQL statements. NetBotz passes user-supplied parameters into Hibernate query strings without using parameter binding or type-safe Criteria APIs. This allows HQL syntax injected via request parameters to reach the ORM layer as trusted query fragments.
Attack Vector
An attacker authenticates to the NetBotz web-service interface or webui with any valid account. The attacker then submits crafted parameters to endpoints that construct HQL queries, appending clauses such as boolean tautologies, UNION-style joins expressible in HQL, or subqueries. Successful requests return unauthorized data from the database or modify stored records. Details of vulnerable endpoints are documented in the Schneider Electric Security Notice.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13337
Indicators of Compromise
- Web-service or webui requests from authenticated sessions containing HQL keywords such as from, select, where, union, or join in unexpected parameter fields
- Application or Hibernate log entries showing QuerySyntaxException or malformed HQL originating from user input
- Anomalous read volumes against the NetBotz database from web front-end processes
Detection Strategies
- Enable verbose Hibernate SQL logging and alert on generated queries containing tautologies or unexpected table references
- Deploy a web application firewall rule set that inspects authenticated requests to NetBotz management URLs for SQL and HQL metacharacters
- Correlate authentication events with subsequent database query anomalies to identify low-privilege accounts issuing high-impact queries
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor adjacent-network access to NetBotz management interfaces and restrict source IP ranges
- Audit NetBotz account activity for logins from unusual hosts or at unusual hours
- Track outbound data volumes from the NetBotz appliance to detect bulk extraction attempts
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13337
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the fixed firmware version referenced in Schneider Electric notice SEVD-2026-223-02
- Restrict the NetBotz management interface to a dedicated management VLAN with strict access control lists
- Rotate NetBotz user credentials and remove unused accounts, especially those with weak or shared passwords
Patch Information
Schneider Electric addresses the issue in the firmware update described in the Schneider Electric Security Notice SEVD-2026-223-02. Follow the vendor's upgrade procedure and validate the running firmware version after deployment.
Workarounds
- Place the NetBotz appliance behind a firewall that permits management traffic only from trusted administrator workstations
- Disable or limit the web-service interface where operationally feasible until the patch can be applied
- Enforce least-privilege role assignments so accounts with web UI access cannot reach sensitive database records
# Configuration example: restrict management access with iptables on an upstream gateway
iptables -A FORWARD -p tcp -s 10.10.20.0/24 -d 10.0.5.15 --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A FORWARD -p tcp -d 10.0.5.15 --dport 443 -j DROP
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.