CVE-2023-25813: Sequelize SQL Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wrh9-cjv3-2hpw
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CVSS 10.0
CWE-89
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-25813 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 10.0) sql injection vulnerability (CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')) affecting Sequelize libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves sequelize vulnerable to sql injection via replacements. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.19.1.

CVE-2023-25813 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-25813
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wrh9-cjv3-2hpw
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 10.0
CWE Classification CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
Affected Product Sequelize
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 10.0

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-25813

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Sequelize dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

sequelize fixed: 6.19.1 
npm install sequelize@6.19.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls sequelize

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2023-25813, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls sequelize

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Sequelize in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 6.19.1), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls sequelize command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an sql command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended sql command when it is sent to a downstream component. without sufficient removal or quoting of sql syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated sql query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as sql instead of ordinary user data. In Sequelize, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact The SQL injection exploit is related to replacements. Here is such an example: In the following query, some parameters are passed through replacements, and some are passed directly through the `where` option. ```typescript User.findAll({ where: or( literal('soundex("firstName") = soundex(:firstName)'), { lastName: lastName }, ), replacements: { firstName }, }) ``` This is a very legitimate use case, but this query was vulnerable to SQL injection due to how Sequelize processed the query: Sequelize built a first query using the `where` option, then passed it over to `sequelize.query` which parsed the resulting SQL to inject all `:replacements`. If the user passed values such as ```json { "firstName": "OR true; DROP TABLE users;", "lastName": ":firstName" } ``` Sequelize would first generate this query: ```sql SELECT * FROM users WHERE soundex("firstName") = soundex(:firstName) OR "lastName" = ':firstName' ``` Then would inject replacements in it, which resulted in this: ```sql SELECT * FROM users WHERE soundex("firstName") = soundex('OR true; DROP TABLE users;') OR "lastName" = ''OR true; DROP TABLE users;'' ``` As you can see this resulted in arbitrary user-provided SQL being executed. ### Patches The issue was fixed in Sequelize 6.19.1 ### Workarounds Do not use the `replacements` and the `where` option in the same query if you are not using Sequelize >= 6.19.1 ### References See this thread for more information: https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/issues/14519 Snyk: https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-SEQUELIZE-2932027

CVE-2023-25813 Affected Sequelize Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.19.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
sequelize
npm/sequelize
npm
< 6.19.1
6.19.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/security/advisories/GHSA-wrh9-cjv3-2hpw
NVD — CVE-2023-25813 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-25813
Sequelize Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/issues/14519
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/commit/ccaa3996047fe00048d5993ab2dd43ebadd4f78b
Sequelize Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize
Sequelize Release RELEASE
https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.19.1
Sequelize Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-SEQUELIZE-2932027

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-25813?
CVE-2023-25813 is a security vulnerability in Sequelize involving Sequelize vulnerable to SQL Injection via replacements under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection').
Which Sequelize versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.19.1 across affected packages: sequelize.
What version fixes CVE-2023-25813?
Upgrading to 6.19.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is sequelize affected?
Yes, sequelize is affected in releases prior to 6.19.1. Upgrade your dependency to 6.19.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-25813?
CVE-2023-25813 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-25813?
CVE-2023-25813 is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2023-25813?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls sequelize'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-wrh9-cjv3-2hpw",
  "modified" : "2023-02-22T22:59:09Z",
  "published" : "2023-02-22T22:59:09Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-25813" ],
  "summary" : "Sequelize vulnerable to SQL Injection via replacements",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nThe SQL injection exploit is related to replacements. Here is such an example: \n\nIn the following query, some parameters are passed through replacements, and some are passed directly through the `where` option.\n\n```typescript\nUser.findAll({\n  where: or(\n    literal('soundex(\"firstName\") = soundex(:firstName)'),\n    { lastName: lastName },\n  ),\n  replacements: { firstName },\n})\n```\n\nThis is a very legitimate use case, but this query was vulnerable to SQL injection due to how Sequelize processed the query: Sequelize built a first query using the `where` option, then passed it over to `sequelize.query` which parsed the resulting SQL to inject all `:replacements`.\n\nIf the user passed values such as\n\n```json\n{\n  \"firstName\": \"OR true; DROP TABLE users;\",\n  \"lastName\": \":firstName\"\n}\n```\n\nSequelize would first generate this query:\n\n```sql\nSELECT * FROM users WHERE soundex(\"firstName\") = soundex(:firstName) OR \"lastName\" = ':firstName'\n```\n\nThen would inject replacements in it, which resulted in this:\n\n```sql\nSELECT * FROM users WHERE soundex(\"firstName\") = soundex('OR true; DROP TABLE users;') OR \"lastName\" = ''OR true; DROP TABLE users;''\n```\n\nAs you can see this resulted in arbitrary user-provided SQL being executed.\n\n### Patches\n\nThe issue was fixed in Sequelize 6.19.1\n\n### Workarounds\n\nDo not use the `replacements` and the `where` option in the same query if you are not using Sequelize >= 6.19.1 \n\n### References\n\nSee this thread for more information: https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/issues/14519\n\nSnyk: https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-SEQUELIZE-2932027",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
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  "references" : [ {
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    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/commit/ccaa3996047fe00048d5993ab2dd43ebadd4f78b"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.19.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-SEQUELIZE-2932027"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-89" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-22T22:59:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-02-22T19:15:00Z"
  }
}