CVE-2019-25447: OrientDB CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25447 Overview

OrientDB 3.0.17 GA Community Edition contains cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities that allow attackers to perform unauthorized actions by crafting malicious requests to sensitive endpoints. The affected endpoints include /database/, /command/, and /document/, which can be exploited to manipulate database configurations, user accounts, and schema definitions without proper authorization validation.

Critical Impact

Attackers can create or delete databases, modify schema classes, manage users, and create functions by sending authenticated requests without token validation. Combined with reflected and stored cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in the web interface, this significantly expands the attack surface.

Affected Products

• OrientDB 3.0.17 GA Community Edition
• OrientDB web interface and REST API endpoints

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-20 - CVE CVE-2019-25447 published to NVD
• 2026-02-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25447

Vulnerability Analysis

This CSRF vulnerability (CWE-352) exists in OrientDB 3.0.17 due to the absence of anti-CSRF token validation on critical API endpoints. The web interface fails to implement proper request origin verification, allowing malicious websites to trigger state-changing operations on behalf of authenticated users. When a victim with an active OrientDB session visits a malicious page, the attacker can exploit the browser's automatic cookie inclusion behavior to execute unauthorized database operations.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it targets administrative functions. An attacker can chain this CSRF weakness with the reported XSS vulnerabilities (both reflected and stored) to achieve a more sophisticated attack. The stored XSS component allows persistent injection of malicious scripts that can automatically trigger CSRF payloads whenever administrators access compromised pages within the OrientDB Studio interface.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper validation of request origins in OrientDB's REST API and web interface. The application accepts state-changing requests (POST, PUT, DELETE) without verifying that the request originated from a legitimate source. Specifically:

• No CSRF tokens are generated or validated for form submissions
• Missing SameSite cookie attributes allow cross-origin cookie inclusion
• Absence of Origin or Referer header validation on sensitive endpoints
• No double-submit cookie pattern implementation

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network by tricking an authenticated OrientDB administrator into visiting a malicious webpage. The attacker crafts an HTML page containing hidden forms or JavaScript that automatically submits requests to the OrientDB endpoints. Since the victim's browser automatically includes session cookies with these requests, the malicious operations execute with the victim's privileges.

Attack scenarios include:

• Creating rogue admin users for persistent backdoor access
• Deleting critical databases causing data loss
• Modifying schema classes to inject malicious triggers or functions
• Creating server-side functions that execute arbitrary code

The vulnerability requires the victim to have an active authenticated session with OrientDB Studio, but no additional user interaction beyond visiting the malicious page is necessary.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25447

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected database creation or deletion events in OrientDB logs
• New user accounts with elevated privileges appearing without administrative action
• Schema modifications or function creations occurring outside normal maintenance windows
• Unusual patterns of POST requests to /database/, /command/, or /document/ endpoints from external referrers

Detection Strategies

• Monitor OrientDB audit logs for administrative operations performed during unusual hours or from unexpected IP addresses
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect requests with suspicious Referer headers pointing to external domains
• Review server access logs for patterns indicating automated form submissions to sensitive endpoints
• Enable browser-based Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reporting to detect potential XSS exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerting for any database creation, deletion, or user management operations
• Implement network monitoring to detect cross-origin requests targeting OrientDB REST APIs
• Enable detailed logging of all administrative actions with session and source IP correlation
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions to identify malicious JavaScript execution in browser contexts

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25447

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade OrientDB to a patched version that addresses CSRF token validation
• Restrict network access to OrientDB Studio using firewall rules or VPN requirements
• Disable unnecessary REST API endpoints if not required for operations
• Implement reverse proxy authentication with CSRF protection in front of OrientDB
• Train administrators to avoid clicking links or visiting untrusted sites while authenticated to OrientDB

Patch Information

Administrators should consult the OrientDB Official Site for the latest security updates and version releases. Additional technical details and proof-of-concept information can be found in Exploit-DB #46517 and the VulnCheck OrientDB Advisory.

Workarounds

• Deploy a reverse proxy (nginx, Apache) with built-in CSRF protection modules in front of OrientDB
• Configure strict SameSite=Strict cookie attributes at the proxy level if possible
• Implement IP-based access controls limiting OrientDB Studio access to trusted management networks
• Use browser isolation for administrative tasks to prevent cross-site attack chains
• Consider disabling the web interface entirely and managing OrientDB via command-line tools only

# Example nginx configuration to add CSRF protection
# Place in front of OrientDB Studio

location /studio/ {
    # Restrict to internal network only
    allow 10.0.0.0/8;
    allow 192.168.0.0/16;
    deny all;
    
    # Add security headers
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
    add_header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" always;
    
    proxy_pass http://localhost:2480/studio/;
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
}