CVE-2026-53984: Ground Station prior to 0.6.0 Unauthenticated Database Wipe and Arbitrary Data Injection via Socket.IO database_backup full_restore Action
Ground Station prior to 0.6.0 contains an unauthenticated database-destruction and arbitrary-data-injection vulnerability in the Socket.IO server's databasebackup event handler that allows any unauthenticated network peer to wipe or replace the entire SQLite database by sending a single fullrestore command with a caller-supplied SQL blob. Attackers can connect to the Socket.IO server on port 7000 without credentials due to disabled authentication enforcement and a wildcard CORS policy, then emit the databasebackup event to drop every existing table and recreate the database from attacker-controlled CREATE TABLE and INSERT INTO statements executed via raw execdriversql, permanently destroying all satellite records, orbital sources, hardware configurations, and observation schedules, or planting fabricated orbital-source URLs and observation entries that redirect the ground station to attacker-controlled servers on the next scheduled sync.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
Ground Station (Socket.IO server)to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 0.6.0 - Configuration
Enable authentication enforcement so the Socket.IO server on port 7000 requires credentials before allowing the database_backup event handler to execute a full_restore.
Socket.IO server authentication enforcement for database_backup = enabled - Configuration
Replace the wildcard CORS policy with a restrictive allowed-origins configuration so arbitrary network origins cannot invoke the Socket.IO database_backup event.
Socket.IO server CORS policy (allowed origins) = not wildcard - Compensating control
Restrict network access to the Socket.IO server port 7000 (e.g., via firewall/ACL) so only trusted clients can reach it.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-53984?
CVE-2026-53984 has a critical severity score of 9.1.
How do I fix CVE-2026-53984?
To fix CVE-2026-53984, upgrade to Ground Station version 0.6.0 or later.
What kind of vulnerability is CVE-2026-53984?
CVE-2026-53984 is an unauthenticated database wipe and arbitrary data injection vulnerability.
What is affected by CVE-2026-53984?
CVE-2026-53984 affects Ground Station prior to version 0.6.0.
What can an attacker do with CVE-2026-53984?
An attacker can wipe or replace the entire SQLite database by exploiting the vulnerability without authentication.