CVE-2026-42858: Open edX Platform enables the authoring and delivery of online learning at any scale.

Open edX Platform enables the authoring and delivery of online learning at any scale.

Open edX Platform enables the authoring and delivery of online learning at any scale. The sync_provider_data endpoint in SAMLProviderDataViewSet allows authenticated Enterprise Admin users to supply an arbitrary URL via the metadata_url POST parameter. This URL is passed directly to requests.get() in fetch_metadata_xml() without any URL validation, IP filtering, or scheme enforcement. An attacker with Enterprise Admin privileges can force the server to make HTTP requests to internal network services, cloud metadata endpoints (e.g., AWS 169.254.169.254), or other attacker-controlled destinations. This vulnerability is fixed by commit 6fda1f120ff5a590d120ae1180185525f399c6d0 and 70a56246dd9c9df57c596e64bdd8a11b1d9da054.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by GitHub

What it means for a small business

If your business uses openedx-platform, install the vendor's update. If you're not sure whether you use it, ask whoever manages your computers.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.37%, higher than 31% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

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Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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