CVE-2024-28254 | SpEL Injection in `GET /api/v1/events/subscriptions/validation/condition/<expr>` in OpenMetadata

OpenMetadata is a unified platform for discovery, observability, and governance powered by a central metadata repository, in-depth lineage, and seamless team collaboration. The `‎AlertUtil::validateExpression` method evaluates an SpEL expression using `getValue` which by default uses the `StandardEvaluationContext`, allowing the expression to reach and interact with Java classes such as `java.lang.Runtime`, leading to Remote Code Execution. The `/api/v1/events/subscriptions/validation/condition/<expression>` endpoint passes user-controlled data `AlertUtil::validateExpession` allowing authenticated (non-admin) users to execute arbitrary system commands on the underlaying operating system. In addition, there is a missing authorization check since `Authorizer.authorize()` is never called in the affected path and, therefore, any authenticated non-admin user is able to trigger this endpoint and evaluate arbitrary SpEL expressions leading to arbitrary command execution. This vulnerability was discovered with the help of CodeQL's Expression language injection (Spring) query and is also tracked as `GHSL-2023-235`. This issue may lead to Remote Code Execution and has been addressed in version 1.2.4. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Published: 2024-03-15 Last update: 2025-09-04 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2024-28254 is rated Moderate Risk (64.5/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 53.94%, 98th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2024-28254

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-04-15 61.87% 53.94% -7.92%
2 2026-04-03 60.28% 61.87% +1.59%
3 2026-01-24 60.28%

Full EPSS history (21 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2024-28254

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2024-28254

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2024-28254

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
open-metadata openmetadata < 1.2.4 cpe:2.3:a:open-metadata:openmetadata:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2024-28254

URL Tags
https://codeql.github.com/codeql-query-help/java/java-spel-expression-injection Not Applicable
https://github.com/open-metadata/OpenMetadata/blob/84054a85d3478e3e3795fe92daa633ec11c9d6d9/openmetadata-service/src/main/java/org/openmetadata/service/events/subscription/AlertUtil.java#L101 Product
https://github.com/open-metadata/OpenMetadata/blob/84054a85d3478e3e3795fe92daa633ec11c9d6d9/openmetadata-service/src/main/java/org/openmetadata/service/events/subscription/AlertUtil.java#L108 Product
https://github.com/open-metadata/OpenMetadata/security/advisories/GHSA-j86m-rrpr-g8gw Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/blob/4e2d3573189b7c0afce62bce29cd915de4077f56/spring-expression/src/main/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/standard/SpelExpression.java#L106 Product
cvelogic Threat Intelligence