CVE-2025-0465: AquilaCMS Deserialization RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-0465 Overview

CVE-2025-0465 is an insecure deserialization vulnerability in AquilaCMS version 1.412.13. The flaw resides in the /api/v2/categories endpoint, where the PostBody.populate parameter is processed without proper input validation [CWE-20]. Attackers can manipulate this argument to trigger deserialization of untrusted data. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without authentication or user interaction. The exploit details have been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of opportunistic attacks against exposed AquilaCMS instances. The vendor was contacted prior to public disclosure but did not respond.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit the PostBody.populate parameter in /api/v2/categories to trigger insecure deserialization, potentially impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected AquilaCMS deployments.

Affected Products

AquilaCMS 1.412.13
Deployments exposing the /api/v2/categories API endpoint
Any environment running the affected AquilaCMS release without compensating controls

Discovery Timeline

2025-01-14 - CVE-2025-0465 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-0465

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from unsafe handling of the PostBody.populate argument within the /api/v2/categories endpoint in AquilaCMS 1.412.13. The application accepts attacker-controlled input and passes it into a deserialization routine without sanitization or type enforcement. This pattern is classified under [CWE-20] Improper Input Validation and aligns with insecure deserialization weaknesses common in Node.js MongoDB-backed CMS platforms that expose Mongoose-style populate directives to clients.

Attackers can craft malicious payloads against the populate field to influence query construction and downstream object instantiation. The impact extends across confidentiality, integrity, and availability, each rated low individually but aggregated into a network-exploitable issue requiring no privileges or user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause is the direct binding of client-supplied JSON to the PostBody.populate structure without an allowlist of permissible fields or types. Trusting client input for database populate operations exposes internal data access semantics to external actors. The framework does not strip dangerous keys or validate the schema before the operation is executed.

Attack Vector

A remote attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the /api/v2/categories endpoint with a manipulated PostBody.populate payload. No authentication is required, and the attack succeeds over the network at low complexity. Proof-of-concept details have been publicly disclosed through a GitHub Gist and VulDB submission, which lowers the barrier to exploitation.

For technical specifics, refer to the GitHub Gist Summary and VulDB entry #291482.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-0465

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP POST or GET requests to /api/v2/categories containing unusual JSON structures within the PostBody.populate field
Unexpected MongoDB query patterns or errors in AquilaCMS application logs referencing populate operations
Outbound network connections from the AquilaCMS host immediately following requests to the categories API

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server and reverse proxy logs for repeated requests to /api/v2/categories with abnormally large or nested populate parameters
Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that flag JSON bodies containing operator keys such as $where, $function, or unexpected object types under populate
Correlate API request anomalies with process behavior on the application server to identify post-deserialization activity

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose request logging for all /api/v2/* endpoints, including request bodies where compliance permits
Alert on new child processes spawned by the Node.js AquilaCMS process or unexpected file system writes under the application directory
Monitor egress traffic from the CMS server for connections to unknown external hosts that could indicate command-and-control activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-0465

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to the /api/v2/categories endpoint at the network or reverse proxy layer until a vendor patch is available
Validate and reject any request containing object structures or operator keys within the PostBody.populate parameter
Review application logs for prior exploitation attempts referencing the affected endpoint and parameter

Patch Information

No vendor patch has been published at the time of writing. The maintainers of AquilaCMS did not respond to the disclosure. Track the VulDB advisory #291482 and the official AquilaCMS repository for updates and apply fixes immediately when released.

Workarounds

Place AquilaCMS behind a WAF and block requests containing nested objects or MongoDB operators in the populate field
Implement application-level middleware that coerces PostBody.populate to a string allowlist of permitted relations
Limit exposure of administrative and category APIs to trusted IP ranges using network access control lists

bash

# Example Nginx rule to drop suspicious populate payloads
location /api/v2/categories {
    if ($request_body ~* "\"populate\"\s*:\s*\{") {
        return 403;
    }
    proxy_pass http://aquilacms_backend;
}