CVE-2026-38428: Kestra SQL injection in flow search API leading to RCE

CVE-2026-38428 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.8 · Published 2026-05-05

Kestra, an open-source orchestration and scheduling platform, is vulnerable to a critical security flaw that allows attackers to execute unauthorized commands on the underlying server. By sending a specially crafted web request to the application's search interface, an attacker can bypass security controls to access, modify, or delete sensitive database information and take full control of the host system. This could lead to a total compromise of the platform, data theft, and disruption of automated business workflows.

Technologies: Kestra. Vendors: Kestra.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-38428 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-38428 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-38428?
Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 5 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Kestra <= 1.3.6.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-38428?
No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2026-38428 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-38428?
Check whether you run Kestra 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.

Technical details

A SQL injection vulnerability exists in Kestra's `/api/v1/main/flows/search` endpoint due to improper sanitization of the `filters[labels]` GET parameter. The application directly concatenates user-controlled input into a JSONB containment expression within the `PostgresFlowRepositoryService.findCondition` method. An attacker can use stacked queries to break out of the intended SQL statement. On PostgreSQL installations, this can be escalated to Remote Code Execution (RCE) using the `COPY ... TO PROGRAM` command. On H2 installations, RCE is possible via the `FILE_WRITE` function. While some advisories suggest authentication is required, the NVD-provided CVSS score of 9.8 indicates it may be exploitable without privileges in certain configurations. The issue is patched in version 1.3.7 and backported to 1.0.35.

Affected products

  • Kestra Kestra <= 1.3.6

Timeline

  • 2026-03-30: advisory: Vendor security advisory published via GitHub
  • 2026-05-05: disclosed: CVE-2026-38428 published

References

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