CVE-2026-86471: Apache CouchDB: Admin credentials leading to code execution as operating system user

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.3 v4.0)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.6% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-10-20 · updated 2026-10-21
Weakness: CWE-78

Description

An unvalidated runtime configuration value in Apache CouchDB 3.5.2 and below on all platforms allows a CouchDB server admin to run arbitrary shell commands as the CouchDB operating system user. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.5.3, which fixes this issue.

Affected products

Apache Software Foundation Apache CouchDB: before 3.5.3 — fixed in 3.5.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache CouchDB 3.5.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/pj83174r8f8f64odf47fwhozbfjtot0f
https://lists.apache.org/thread/c8p73gswgogtnzvk7hpw8jb8d4mnosdp
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/20/11

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