CVE-2025-13774

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-13774 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability affecting Progress Flowmon ADS (Application Delivery Server) versions prior to 12.5.4 and 13.0.1. This flaw allows an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary SQL queries and commands against the underlying database, potentially leading to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or complete system compromise. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (High), indicating significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code has been released at this time, and the EPSS score is 0.0%, suggesting low exploitation activity in the wild. However, given the critical nature of the vulnerability and the widespread use of Progress Flowmon in enterprise environments, immediate patching is strongly recommended.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 8.8 (High)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
• Privileges Required: Low (PR:L)
• User Interaction: None (UI:N)
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U)
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H)
• Integrity Impact: High (I:H)
• Availability Impact: High (A:H)

The threat level is High due to the low attack complexity, network-based exploitation, and the potential for full database compromise. An authenticated attacker with minimal privileges can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary SQL commands, leading to data theft, modification, or denial of service.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the SQL query construction logic within Progress Flowmon ADS. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL statements. Specifically, certain parameters passed via HTTP requests are concatenated directly into SQL queries without parameterization or escaping. This allows an authenticated user to inject malicious SQL code by crafting specially crafted input strings.

The injection point is likely within a search, filter, or reporting feature that accepts user input and uses it to build dynamic SQL queries. Since the attacker is already authenticated, they can bypass initial access controls and focus on exploiting the SQL injection to escalate privileges or extract sensitive data.

The underlying database is likely a relational database management system (RDBMS) such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Microsoft SQL Server, which are commonly used in enterprise applications. The exact database type is not specified, but the exploitation techniques would vary accordingly.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

The vulnerable code likely uses string concatenation to build SQL queries, such as:

# Vulnerable code example (pseudo-code)
query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = '" + user_input + "'"
cursor.execute(query)

The patched code in versions 12.5.4 and 13.0.1 uses parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent injection:

# Patched code example (pseudo-code)
query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = %s"
cursor.execute(query, (user_input,))

The exact code changes are not publicly available, but the fix involves implementing proper input validation and using parameterized queries for all database interactions.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

To exploit this vulnerability in a lab environment, an attacker would need:

1. Access: Valid credentials for a Flowmon ADS instance (e.g., user account with low privileges).
2. Tooling: SQL injection tools like sqlmap or manual exploitation using curl or Burp Suite.
3. Steps:
   • Identify the vulnerable parameter (e.g., search, filter, id).
   • Inject a SQL payload to test for injection, such as ' OR '1'='1.
   • Use sqlmap to automate exploitation and extract data:

     sqlmap -u "http://target.com/vulnerable_endpoint?param=test" --cookie="session=valid_session" --batch --dump
     

   • Alternatively, manually craft payloads to extract data or execute commands (e.g., UNION SELECT or xp_cmdshell on SQL Server).

Blue Team

To detect and defend against exploitation:

1. Monitor: Enable logging of all SQL queries and HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoints.
2. WAF Rules: Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block common SQL injection patterns (e.g., ' OR, UNION SELECT, --).
3. IDS/IPS: Use intrusion detection/prevention systems with signatures for SQL injection.
4. Honeypots: Set up decoy endpoints to lure attackers and log their activities.
5. Patch: Immediately upgrade to version 12.5.4 or 13.0.1.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • HTTP requests containing SQL keywords (e.g., UNION, SELECT, INSERT, DROP) in parameters.
  • Unusual database error messages in HTTP responses (e.g., "You have an error in your SQL syntax").
  • Outbound connections from the Flowmon server to unknown IPs (potential data exfiltration).

• Host IOCs:

  • Unexpected database processes or queries running on the Flowmon server.
  • New user accounts or elevated privileges in the database.
  • Modified or deleted database tables.

• Log IOCs:

  • Repeated failed login attempts followed by successful SQL injection attempts.
  • Anomalous database query patterns in application logs.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_13774_SQL_Injection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting Progress Flowmon ADS"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-13774"
    strings:
        $sql1 = "UNION SELECT" ascii wide nocase
        $sql2 = "OR 1=1" ascii wide nocase
        $sql3 = "DROP TABLE" ascii wide nocase
        $sql4 = "xp_cmdshell" ascii wide nocase
        $sql5 = "SELECT * FROM" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-13774 SQL Injection Attempt
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts against Progress Flowmon ADS
author: Valters IT
date: 2025/04/10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-13774
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        c-uri|contains:
            - 'UNION SELECT'
            - 'OR 1=1'
            - 'DROP TABLE'
            - 'xp_cmdshell'
            - 'SELECT * FROM'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of SQL keywords in non-malicious contexts (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-13774 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"UNION SELECT"; nocase; http_uri; sid:1000001; rev:1;)
alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-13774 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"OR 1=1"; nocase; http_uri; sid:1000002; rev:1;)
alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-13774 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"DROP TABLE"; nocase; http_uri; sid:1000003; rev:1;)
alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-13774 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"xp_cmdshell"; nocase; http_uri; sid:1000004; rev:1;)
alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-13774 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"SELECT * FROM"; nocase; http_uri; sid:1000005; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate Patching: Upgrade to Progress Flowmon ADS version 12.5.4 or 13.0.1 as soon as possible.
2. Workaround: If patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to the Flowmon ADS interface to trusted IPs only.
3. Input Validation: Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied data.
4. Parameterized Queries: Ensure all database queries use parameterized statements or prepared statements.
5. Least Privilege: Review and minimize database user privileges to limit the impact of a successful injection.
6. Monitoring: Enable detailed logging and monitoring for SQL injection attempts.
7. WAF: Deploy a Web Application Firewall with rules to block SQL injection patterns.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers