An application that parses spatial reference strings in Django 5.2, 6.0, or 6.1 can unknowingly allow the GDAL library to perform any file system or network operation. By supplying a crafted spatial reference string, an attacker can trigger the server to request external resources or read local files. This vulnerability enables a server‑side request forgery or local file read, potentially exposing data, hijacking traffic, or facilitating further attacks.

The issue affects Django 5.2 before version 5.2.19, Django 6.0 before version 6.0.10, and Django 6.1 before version 6.1.3. Versions earlier in the series such as 5.1.x, 5.0.x, and 4.2.x were not evaluated but may also be vulnerable. The problem resides in the django.contrib.gis.gdal.SpatialReference component and its related transform methods and srs/srid setters.

The CVSS score of 6.9 indicates moderate to high severity, and while EPSS data is not available, the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, so it is not known to have been widely exploited yet. Attackers can exploit it by submitting a malicious spatial reference string through any interface that accepts GIS data, which may be typical in mapping services or applications that import external geospatial files. If the application processes untrusted data without validation, the attack can succeed without additional conditions.