CVE-2026-27768: Access Manager Role SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-27768 Overview

CVE-2026-27768 is a SQL injection vulnerability affecting the Access Manager role in Genetec Security Center. The flaw allows an authenticated actor with elevated privileges to inject arbitrary SQL statements through inputs processed by the Access Manager component. Successful exploitation can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the backing database. Genetec has published resolved-vulnerability notices for Security Center 5.12 and 5.13, addressing the issue in versions 5.12.2.17 and 5.13.3.5. The weakness is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers holding the Access Manager role can manipulate SQL queries to read, modify, or destroy data in Security Center's database, undermining physical access control records.

Affected Products

Genetec Security Center 5.12 (fixed in 5.12.2.17)
Genetec Security Center 5.13 (fixed in 5.13.3.5)
Deployments where the Access Manager role is enabled and exposed to operators

Discovery Timeline

2026-05-25 - CVE-2026-27768 published to NVD
2026-05-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-27768

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Access Manager role, a server-side component of Genetec Security Center that mediates communication between the system and physical access control hardware. Input handled by this role is concatenated into SQL statements without sufficient neutralization of special characters. An attacker who controls these inputs can break out of the intended query context and append attacker-controlled SQL clauses.

Because the attack vector is network-based and the role operates against the Security Center database, exploitation directly targets stored access control data, cardholder information, and audit records. The CWE-89 classification confirms that the underlying defect is improper neutralization of SQL syntax in user-influenced input.

The high attack complexity and high privilege requirement reflected in the CVSS vector indicate that exploitation depends on the attacker already holding the Access Manager role and meeting specific preconditions in the target environment.

Root Cause

The root cause is dynamic SQL construction within the Access Manager code path. Parameterized queries or strict input validation are not consistently applied, allowing metacharacters such as single quotes, semicolons, and comment sequences to alter query structure. Genetec's resolved-vulnerabilities advisories for 5.12.2.17 and 5.13.3.5 indicate the affected code paths have been corrected in the patched releases.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticated to Security Center with the Access Manager role submits crafted input through functionality processed by that role over the network. The injected payload is incorporated into a SQL query executed against the Security Center database. Depending on the query context, the attacker can extract database contents, modify access permissions, tamper with audit logs, or trigger denial-of-service conditions against the database. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own actions.

No public proof-of-concept exploit has been published, and the issue is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. See the Genetec Security Update 5.12 advisory and the Genetec Security Update 5.13 advisory for vendor-supplied details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-27768

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected SQL syntax characters (', --, ;, /*) appearing in Access Manager input fields or request logs.
Anomalous database queries originating from the Access Manager role, especially queries referencing system tables or returning large result sets.
Unexplained modifications to cardholder records, credentials, or access rules in the Security Center database.
Authentication events for Access Manager accounts followed by atypical database read or write spikes.

Detection Strategies

Enable verbose auditing on the Security Center database and review queries executed by the Access Manager service account for malformed or unexpected SQL.
Correlate Access Manager session activity with database query patterns to identify deviations from baseline operator behavior.
Monitor network traffic between operator workstations and the Security Center server for payloads containing SQL metacharacters in Access Manager request parameters.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Security Center application logs and database audit logs to a centralized SIEM for long-term correlation.
Alert on privilege changes or schema queries executed by accounts mapped to the Access Manager role.
Track failed and successful logons for Access Manager accounts and flag logons from unexpected source addresses or off-hours sessions.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-27768

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Genetec Security Center 5.12 deployments to version 5.12.2.17 or later.
Upgrade Genetec Security Center 5.13 deployments to version 5.13.3.5 or later.
Audit all accounts assigned the Access Manager role and remove the role from users who do not require it.
Rotate credentials for Access Manager accounts and any database service accounts used by Security Center after patching.

Patch Information

Genetec has resolved the issue in Security Center 5.12.2.17 and 5.13.3.5. Patch details and release notes are published in the Genetec Security Center 5.12 resolved vulnerabilities notice, the Genetec Security Center 5.13 resolved vulnerabilities notice, and the French-language 5.12 advisory. Apply the update through the standard Genetec update process and validate Access Manager functionality post-upgrade.

Workarounds

Restrict assignment of the Access Manager role to a minimum set of trusted administrative accounts until patching is complete.
Place the Security Center server and its database on a segmented management network with strict access controls.
Apply least-privilege configuration to the database account used by the Access Manager service to limit the blast radius of any successful injection.

bash

# Configuration example
# Verify installed Security Center version on the server host
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Genetec\Security Center" /v Version

# Confirm the running build meets the patched threshold
#   5.12 branch -> 5.12.2.17 or later
#   5.13 branch -> 5.13.3.5 or later