CVE-2023-25158: GeoTools JDBC SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2023-25158 Overview

CVE-2023-25158 is a SQL Injection vulnerability affecting GeoTools, an open source Java library that provides tools for geospatial data processing. The vulnerability exists in the OGC Filter expression language parsing, encoding, and execution functionality when used with JDBCDataStore implementations. Attackers can exploit this flaw to inject malicious SQL commands through crafted OGC Filter expressions, potentially leading to unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, or complete database compromise.

Critical Impact

This SQL Injection vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against backend databases through malicious OGC Filter expressions, potentially compromising data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

• GeoTools versions prior to 27.4
• GeoTools versions 28.x prior to 28.2
• Applications using JDBCDataStore implementations with OGC Filter support

Discovery Timeline

• 2023-02-21 - CVE CVE-2023-25158 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-25158

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) resides in GeoTools' OGC Filter expression language processing components. GeoTools provides comprehensive support for parsing, encoding, and executing OGC Filter expressions against various data stores. When these filter expressions are processed by JDBCDataStore implementations, insufficient input validation allows attackers to inject malicious SQL fragments that are subsequently executed against the underlying database.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning because GeoTools is widely used in Geographic Information System (GIS) applications, web mapping services, and spatial data infrastructures. Organizations using GeoTools with database backends such as PostGIS, Oracle Spatial, or other JDBC-compatible databases are at risk if they process untrusted OGC Filter input.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands. When GeoTools converts OGC Filter expressions to SQL queries for JDBCDataStore operations, the library fails to properly sanitize or parameterize user-controlled input. This allows specially crafted filter expressions to break out of the intended query context and inject arbitrary SQL commands.

The vulnerable code path involves the filter-to-SQL translation layer, where OGC Filter operations are mapped to equivalent SQL clauses. Without proper escaping or the use of prepared statements, malicious input can manipulate the generated SQL structure.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by submitting malicious OGC Filter expressions to any application endpoint that processes filters through GeoTools' JDBCDataStore implementations. This could include WFS (Web Feature Service) endpoints, custom GIS APIs, or any service accepting OGC-compliant filter queries.

The exploitation mechanism involves crafting OGC Filter XML or CQL (Common Query Language) expressions that contain SQL injection payloads. When these expressions are parsed and executed against the database, the injected SQL commands execute with the privileges of the database connection used by the application.

For detailed technical information about the vulnerability and exploitation patterns, refer to the GitHub Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-25158

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed OGC Filter expressions in web server logs containing SQL syntax elements
• Database query logs showing unexpected SQL commands or injection patterns originating from GeoTools-based applications
• Error messages indicating SQL syntax errors from spatial query processing
• Anomalous database access patterns such as bulk data extraction or privilege escalation attempts

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns within OGC Filter requests
• Monitor application logs for malformed or suspiciously complex OGC Filter expressions
• Deploy database activity monitoring to detect unusual query patterns from GIS application connections
• Use SentinelOne's application protection to identify and block SQL injection attempts at runtime

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all OGC Filter processing in GeoTools-based applications
• Configure database audit logging to capture all queries from application service accounts
• Implement alerting for SQL errors or exceptions originating from spatial query components
• Monitor for unusual data access volumes or patterns from GIS service endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-25158

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade GeoTools to version 27.4 or 28.2 or later immediately
• Audit all applications using GeoTools with JDBCDataStore implementations to identify vulnerable deployments
• Review web application firewall and input validation controls for OGC Filter endpoints
• Implement network segmentation to limit database access from potentially vulnerable application servers

Patch Information

The GeoTools maintainers have released patched versions that address this SQL Injection vulnerability. Users should upgrade to version 27.4 for the 27.x branch or version 28.2 for the 28.x branch. The fix can be reviewed in the GitHub commit. For complete security advisory details, see the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-99c3-qc2q-p94m.

Workarounds

• Disable encode functions for PostGIS DataStores to reduce the attack surface
• Enable prepared statements for JDBCDataStores to provide parameterized query protection
• Implement strict input validation on all OGC Filter expressions before processing
• Restrict database user privileges to minimum required permissions for the GeoTools application

# Example GeoTools datastore configuration with prepared statements enabled
# Add these properties to your datastore configuration
geotools.jdbc.preparedStatements=true
geotools.jdbc.encodeFunctions=false