# CVE-2026-119281: MariaDB Connector/J character set validation bypass

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-119281-mariadb-connector-j-is-used-to-connect-applications-developed-in  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-29. Updated: 2026-10-29  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-119281 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.9 · Published 2026-10-29

MariaDB Connector/J is a Java database driver that connects applications to MariaDB and MySQL servers. An attacker controlling the database server or intercepting the connection could manipulate the character encoding of query results to bypass application-level input validation and escaping, potentially enabling SQL injection or other attacks that depend on string integrity.

Technologies: [MariaDB Connector/J](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/mariadb-connector-j), [org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client (Maven)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/org-mariadb-jdbc-mariadb-java-client). Vendors: [Mariadb](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/mariadb), [Maven](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/maven).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-119281 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-119281 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-119281?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.9, published 29 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** MariaDB Connector/J 3.0.0 to 3.3.6, 3.4.0 to 3.4.4, 3.5.0 to 3.5.10; org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client (Maven) >= 3.0.0, < 3.3.7, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=3.0.0,fixed=3.3.7.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-119281?** Yes. org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client (Maven): upgrade to 3.3.7 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-119281 attacked?** It is attacked over the network or from the adjacent network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-119281?** Check whether you run MariaDB Connector/J or org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client (Maven) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client (Maven): upgrade to 3.3.7 or later

  ```sh
  # set org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client to 3.3.7 in your pom.xml or build.gradle
  ```


## Technical details

The connector assumed all result bytes were UTF-8 but only validated changes to character_set_client; it did not reject non-UTF-8 character_set_results changes. A malicious or compromised server, or a network attacker, could suppress session variable tracking or change the result charset to cause application strings to differ from returned bytes, defeating application-side validation that depends on decoded values. The fix adds explicit session tracking and guards character_set_results changes to only accept UTF-8 compatible charsets.

## Affected products

- MariaDB Connector/J 3.0.0 to 3.3.6, 3.4.0 to 3.4.4, 3.5.0 to 3.5.10

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-119281
- GHSA-grfq-r75j-rw9x

## Timeline

- 2026-10-29: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-j/commit/af5e565eb171cfc66ea8e948ddc616abed0c4623](https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-j/commit/af5e565eb171cfc66ea8e948ddc616abed0c4623)
- [https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-j/commit/d51b968c1b795c73d24e0b3f960205b7bc82d423](https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-j/commit/d51b968c1b795c73d24e0b3f960205b7bc82d423)

## Related threats

- [MariaDB Connector/J: XA recover() trusted server-supplied gtrid and bqual lengths](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-119280-mariadb-connector-j-is-used-to-connect-applications-developed-in)
- [MariaDB Connector/J integer overflow in length encoding](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-119279-mariadb-connector-j-is-used-to-connect-applications-developed-in)
- [MariaDB Connector/J array index out of bounds in caching_sha2_password](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-119278-mariadb-connector-j-is-used-to-connect-applications-developed-in)
- [MariaDB Connector/J buffer overflow in packet decoding](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-119277-mariadb-connector-j-is-used-to-connect-applications-developed-in)
- [MariaDB Connector/J heap allocation denial of service](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-119276-mariadb-connector-j-is-used-to-connect-applications-developed-in)