CVE-2026-6626: Cockpit-HQ Cockpit RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-6626 Overview

A NoSQL injection vulnerability has been identified in Cockpit-HQ Cockpit versions up to 2.13.5. The vulnerability exists in the Asset Handler and Aggregate Handler components, where improper neutralization of special elements in data query logic allows attackers to manipulate database queries. This flaw enables remote attackers to potentially access, modify, or exfiltrate data from the underlying NoSQL database by injecting malicious query operators.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit improper input validation in the Asset Handler and Aggregate Handler components to perform NoSQL injection attacks, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, and information disclosure.

Affected Products

• Cockpit-HQ Cockpit versions up to and including 2.13.5

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-20 - CVE-2026-6626 published to NVD
• 2026-04-22 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-6626

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), manifesting as a NoSQL injection flaw in the Cockpit content management system. The affected Asset Handler and Aggregate Handler components fail to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into NoSQL database queries.

Cockpit CMS uses MongoDB as its backend database, and the vulnerable handlers accept user input that is directly used in query construction. When special MongoDB query operators (such as $gt, $ne, $regex, or $where) are not filtered from user input, attackers can inject these operators to alter the intended query logic.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means that any authenticated user with access to the affected handlers can potentially exploit this flaw. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized data retrieval, bypassing of authentication or authorization checks at the database level, and potential data manipulation.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization in the Asset Handler and Aggregate Handler components. When processing user requests, these handlers construct NoSQL queries without adequately neutralizing special characters and query operators that have semantic meaning in MongoDB's query language.

This improper neutralization allows attackers to inject MongoDB-specific operators into query parameters, fundamentally changing the behavior of database operations from their intended purpose.

Attack Vector

The attack can be launched remotely over the network by authenticated users. Attackers exploit the vulnerability by crafting malicious requests to the Asset Handler or Aggregate Handler endpoints with specially constructed parameters containing NoSQL query operators.

A typical attack pattern involves replacing expected string values with JSON objects containing MongoDB operators. For example, instead of providing a simple string filter value, an attacker might inject an object like {"$ne": null} or {"$gt": ""} to bypass filters or extract additional data.

The public availability of exploit information, as referenced in the GitHub NoSQL Injection Study, increases the risk of exploitation attempts in the wild.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-6626

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual query patterns in application logs containing MongoDB operators such as $gt, $ne, $regex, $where, or $or in user-supplied parameters
• Unexpected bulk data retrieval or access patterns from the Cockpit CMS database
• HTTP requests to Asset Handler or Aggregate Handler endpoints with JSON-encoded objects in normally string-type parameters
• Authentication bypass attempts or unauthorized access to protected content

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block requests containing NoSQL injection patterns such as $gt, $ne, $regex, and similar MongoDB operators in request parameters
• Deploy application-level logging to monitor and alert on queries executed through the Asset Handler and Aggregate Handler components
• Use database activity monitoring to detect anomalous query patterns that may indicate injection attempts
• Configure SentinelOne Singularity Platform to monitor for suspicious process behavior and data exfiltration patterns from systems hosting Cockpit CMS

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the Cockpit CMS application to capture all requests to the Asset Handler and Aggregate Handler endpoints
• Monitor network traffic for unusual data volumes being transmitted from Cockpit CMS servers
• Set up alerts for failed authentication attempts followed by successful access, which may indicate exploitation of authentication bypass via NoSQL injection

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-6626

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Cockpit CMS administrative interface to trusted networks only using firewall rules or VPN requirements
• Implement input validation at the application or reverse proxy level to reject requests containing MongoDB query operators in user input fields
• Review and audit user access to the Cockpit CMS, removing any unnecessary accounts
• Monitor the VulDB vulnerability entry for updates regarding patches or additional mitigation guidance

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the vendor (Cockpit-HQ) was contacted about this vulnerability but did not respond. No official patch has been released. Organizations should monitor the official Cockpit-HQ repository and security channels for future patch releases.

In the absence of an official fix, implementing the workarounds and compensating controls listed below is strongly recommended.

Workarounds

• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF in front of Cockpit CMS to filter requests containing NoSQL injection patterns before they reach the application
• Implement strict input validation at the network perimeter to sanitize or reject requests with suspicious payload structures
• Limit user permissions within Cockpit CMS to the minimum necessary for their roles, reducing the potential impact of exploitation
• Consider temporarily disabling public access to the affected Asset Handler and Aggregate Handler components until a patch is available

# Example nginx configuration to block common NoSQL injection patterns
location /api/cockpit/ {
    # Block requests containing common MongoDB operators
    if ($request_body ~* "(\$gt|\$ne|\$lt|\$regex|\$where|\$or|\$and)") {
        return 403;
    }
    proxy_pass http://cockpit_backend;
}