Allows persistent unauthorized admin account and full takeover of an enterprise DB (MarkLogic); high-impact across many orgs and likely to make security news.
CVE-2026-85947
Auth flaw lets attacker create persistent admin account on MarkLogic Server
Is CVE-2026-85947 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-85947 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.35% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-85947?
CVE-2026-85947 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.9. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-85947?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-85947. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-85947 affect?
CVE-2026-85947 affects Progress MarkLogic Server 12.x (versions before 12.1.0), Progress MarkLogic Server 11.x (versions before 11.3.7). Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-85947?
Upgrade to 12.1.0/11.3.7+ immediately; remove unknown admins; rotate creds and audit access.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote attacker with forest-management privileges can create persistent admin account, enabling complete administrative takeover and data/control compromise.
Immediate action required
- affected>= 11.0.0 and < 11.3.7
- affected>= 12.0.0 and < 12.1.0
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.