CVE-2026-104872
Description
A flaw was found in OpenTelemetry JavaScript Contrib database instrumentation packages. By default, these packages automatically attach database connection usernames to emitted telemetry traces during database operations without requiring explicit opt-in configuration. This issue allows unauthorized users with access to observability storage backends to view sensitive database usernames, resulting in information disclosure that exposes service topology, roles, and account naming conventions.
Statement
Some @opentelemetry/instrumentation-* packages unconditionally emitted the db.user span attribute (database connection username) on every instrumented database operation. This was default behaviour, not gated by any opt-in flag. The username is forwarded to all configured observability backends (Jaeger, Zipkin, Datadog, OTLP collectors), potentially revealing service account names, role-encoded usernames, and architecture topology.
Only usernames are leaked — no passwords, connection strings, or data.
Mitigation
Update to fixed versions.
Workaround: a custom SpanProcessor can be used to strip db.user from spans before export.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.3 | N/A | 5.8 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Changed |
| Confidentiality | Low | N/A | Low |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
S:C->U: telemetry emission is within the application's own security authority; the instrumentation library emits spans to backends as its normal function
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories; Read Memory; Read Application Data
Sensitive data may be exposed to attackers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.
