CVE-2025-15597

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-15597 is a critical improper access control vulnerability discovered in Dataease SQLBot, affecting versions up to and including 1.4.0. The flaw resides in the API endpoint at backend/apps/system/api/assistant.py, allowing remote attackers to bypass authorization checks and perform unauthorized actions. With a CVSS score of 6.3 (Medium), the vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication, posing a significant risk to data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. A public exploit has been disclosed, and a patch is available in version 1.5.0. Immediate upgrading is strongly recommended.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects the Dataease SQLBot application, which is distributed as a Python-based package. Organizations using this component should verify their deployment version and ensure they are not running an unpatched release. The fix is included in version 1.5.0, and the specific commit d640ac31d1ce64ce90e06cf7081163915c9fc28c addresses the issue. No known supply chain compromise has been reported, but users should validate the integrity of their downloaded packages.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 6.3 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N)
• User Interaction: None (UI:N)
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U)
• Confidentiality Impact: Low (C:L)
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L)
• Availability Impact: Low (A:L)

The vulnerability is remotely exploitable with low complexity and no authentication, making it attractive to attackers. While the impact is limited to low-level compromise, the ease of exploitation elevates the overall risk.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is located in the backend/apps/system/api/assistant.py file of Dataease SQLBot. This file handles API endpoints for the assistant functionality. The improper access control allows an unauthenticated attacker to invoke functions that should require proper authorization. The exact mechanism involves missing or insufficient checks on user permissions before processing API requests. Multiple endpoints are affected, meaning an attacker can potentially access, modify, or delete data, or perform administrative actions without valid credentials.

The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the likelihood of active exploitation. The patch in version 1.5.0 introduces proper access control checks, likely by validating user roles or tokens before executing sensitive operations.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

The vulnerable code in backend/apps/system/api/assistant.py likely lacks authorization checks. For example:

# Vulnerable (version <= 1.4.0)
@api_bp.route('/assistant/action', methods=['POST'])
def assistant_action():
    data = request.get_json()
    # No permission check
    result = perform_action(data)
    return jsonify(result)

The patched version (1.5.0) adds authorization:

# Patched (version >= 1.5.0)
@api_bp.route('/assistant/action', methods=['POST'])
@require_auth  # New decorator
def assistant_action():
    data = request.get_json()
    if not current_user.has_permission('assistant:action'):
        abort(403)
    result = perform_action(data)
    return jsonify(result)

The exact patch commit d640ac31d1ce64ce90e06cf7081163915c9fc28c should be reviewed for the specific changes.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

To simulate exploitation, set up a vulnerable Dataease SQLBot instance (version 1.4.0). Use the following Python script to send an unauthenticated request to the vulnerable endpoint:

import requests

target = "http://target:port/api/assistant/action"
payload = {"command": "list_users"}  # Example action

response = requests.post(target, json=payload)
print(response.text)

If the endpoint returns data without authentication, the vulnerability is confirmed. An attacker could chain multiple endpoints to escalate privileges or exfiltrate data.

Blue Team

To detect exploitation attempts, monitor for unusual API requests to /api/assistant/ endpoints from unauthenticated sources. Implement rate limiting and anomaly detection. Use the detection rules provided below.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: HTTP POST requests to /api/assistant/ endpoints without valid session tokens.
• Logs: Access logs showing 200 responses to /api/assistant/ from IPs not associated with authenticated users.
• File: Unauthorized modifications to system data via the assistant API.
• Behavior: Unexpected creation, deletion, or modification of records in the SQLBot database.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_15597_Dataease_SQLBot {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts for CVE-2025-15597 in Dataease SQLBot"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-15597"
    strings:
        $s1 = "/api/assistant/" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "assistant.py" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-15597 Dataease SQLBot Unauthenticated API Access
id: 8a4b3c2d-1e5f-4a7b-9c8d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects unauthenticated access to the vulnerable assistant API endpoint
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-stem: '/api/assistant/*'
        sc-status: 200
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate authenticated users (if any)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-15597 Dataease SQLBot Unauthenticated API Access"; flow:to_server; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/api/assistant/"; http_uri; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Upgrade Dataease SQLBot to version 1.5.0 or apply the patch commit d640ac31d1ce64ce90e06cf7081163915c9fc28c.
2. Network: Restrict access to the API endpoints using firewall rules or reverse proxy authentication.
3. Monitoring: Enable logging and alerting for unauthorized access attempts to /api/assistant/ endpoints.
4. Validation: Review all API endpoints for proper authorization checks, especially those handling sensitive operations.
5. Backup: Ensure regular backups of the SQLBot database to recover from potential data loss.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers