CVE-2025-69285: Unauthenticated File Upload in SQLBot Allows Silent Database Overwrite

Unauthenticated File Upload Leading to Database Overwrite

Vulnerability Overview

CVE ID: CVE-2025-69285
Affected Product: SQLBot
Vulnerability Type: Missing Authentication → Arbitrary Database Overwrite
Severity: High
CVSS Score: 7.7 (High)
Attack Vector: Network
Authentication Required: No
User Interaction: None
Exploit Availability: Public proof-of-concept available (educational use only)
Exploit Complexity: Low
Impact Area: Database integrity, data availability, downstream analytics / LLM outputs

Executive Summary

A critical authentication flaw was identified in SQLBot where a sensitive file-upload API endpoint was exposed without access control. Because authentication checks were bypassed, any unauthenticated remote user was able to upload Excel or CSV files directly to the backend service.

The uploaded files were automatically parsed and written into the application’s PostgreSQL database using destructive write logic. As a result, existing database tables could be replaced or overwritten entirely. This behavior enabled unauthorized data manipulation, data loss, poisoning of analytics or AI outputs, and potential denial-of-service conditions.

Technical Description

An internal API endpoint responsible for ingesting Excel and CSV files was incorrectly placed on an authentication whitelist. Due to this configuration error, token validation middleware was skipped for this endpoint.

When a file was submitted to the endpoint:

The file was accepted without validating the request origin or authorization headers
The contents were parsed using a data-processing library
Parsed data was written into the PostgreSQL database
The database write operation used a replace mode, which dropped existing tables if they already existed
Uploaded files were not automatically removed from disk after processing

Because table names were derived from file or sheet names, attackers were able to influence which tables were created or replaced.

Why This Is Dangerous

This vulnerability was especially impactful because it combined unauthenticated access with destructive database operations.

The following risks were introduced:

Complete loss of database integrity due to table replacement
Silent data corruption, which is harder to detect than outages
Poisoning of analytics pipelines or LLM/RAG data sources, leading to incorrect or manipulated responses
Persistence of malicious data that appears legitimate within the application
Disk exhaustion, as uploaded files were not cleaned up

Because no credentials were required, exploitation could occur from the internet or from a compromised internal host.

Exploitation Scenario (Educational)

The following description is provided strictly for defensive and educational awareness.

An attacker could perform the following steps:

Identify a reachable SQLBot instance
Send an unauthenticated HTTP POST request to the file-upload endpoint
Attach a crafted CSV or Excel file containing attacker-controlled data
Allow the server to process the file and overwrite database tables
Observe modified data appearing in dashboards, queries, or AI outputs

No authentication token, session cookie, or user interaction would be required for this attack to succeed.

Proof of Concept Availability

A public proof-of-concept exists demonstrating unauthenticated file upload using standard HTTP tooling. The PoC shows that a simple multipart request is sufficient to trigger database writes.

MITRE Classification

CWE-306 — Missing Authentication for Critical Function

This weakness applies because a sensitive operation (database ingestion and modification) was accessible without verifying user identity.

Detection and Monitoring Guidance

Primary Log Sources to Monitor

The following log sources are most useful for identifying exploitation attempts or successful abuse:

Reverse proxy / web server access logs
Application backend logs
PostgreSQL database logs
File system audit logs
WAF or IDS alerts

Indicators of Suspicious Activity

The following behaviors should be treated as high-risk indicators:

HTTP POST requests to /api/v1/datasource/uploadExcel
Requests lacking Authorization headers
Multipart file uploads originating from unknown IP addresses
Sudden creation, replacement, or truncation of database tables
Unexpected table names derived from file or sheet names
Rapid disk usage growth in upload or temporary directories

Database-Level Signals

At the database level, attention should be paid to:

DROP TABLE followed by CREATE TABLE activity
Table creation events outside maintenance windows
Unusual spikes in insert operations
Schema changes not associated with deployments

Example Detection Queries

Web / Proxy Log Detection

POST /api/v1/datasource/uploadExcel
AND Authorization header missing

Database Audit Focus

DROP TABLE
CREATE TABLE
INSERT INTO

occurring without a known administrative action.

Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules

Generic WAF Logic (Recommended)

Block unauthenticated POST requests to the upload endpoint
Allow access only from trusted internal IP ranges
Enforce authentication header presence

Example NGINX Rule

location /api/v1/datasource/uploadExcel {
    if ($request_method = POST) {
        if ($http_authorization = "") {
            return 403;
        }
    }
}

Example ModSecurity Rule

SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /api/v1/datasource/uploadExcel" \
    "id:10069285,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'Blocked unauthenticated SQLBot upload attempt'"

Example Cloudflare WAF Expression

(http.request.uri.path eq "/api/v1/datasource/uploadExcel"
 and http.request.method eq "POST"
 and not http.request.headers["authorization"])

Action: Block

Remediation and Mitigation

Immediate Mitigation

If upgrading is not immediately possible:

Block the vulnerable endpoint at the WAF or reverse proxy
Restrict access to trusted IP ranges only
Monitor database logs for unexpected table replacement
Validate integrity of existing datasets

Permanent Fix (Recommended)

The vulnerability has been fully addressed in the official SQLBot release that enforces authentication on the affected endpoint and removes unsafe database write behavior.

Official Patch / Upgrade Link:
https://github.com/dataease/SQLBot/security/advisories/GHSA-crfm-cch4-hjpv

Upgrading to the fixed version is strongly recommended.

Post-Remediation Validation

After patching or upgrading:

Confirm authentication is enforced on the upload endpoint
Attempt unauthenticated access and verify it is rejected
Review database permissions and ingestion logic
Ensure uploaded files are cleaned up after processing
Perform a data integrity review for prior compromise

Final Takeaway

This vulnerability posed a high risk due to:

Zero authentication requirement
Direct impact on database integrity
Low technical barrier to exploitation
Potential cascading impact on analytics and AI systems

Organizations running affected versions should treat this issue as security-critical and ensure remediation has been completed and validated.