CVE-2025-1692 Overview
CVE-2025-1692 is a control character injection vulnerability [CWE-150] in the MongoDB Shell (mongosh). An attacker who controls the contents of a user's clipboard can craft text containing embedded control characters that, when pasted into mongosh, cause the shell to evaluate hidden malicious code. The control characters obfuscate the payload so the visible text appears benign while additional commands execute. The flaw affects all mongosh versions prior to 2.3.9 and is fixed in that release.
Critical Impact
A successful paste action allows arbitrary code execution within the mongosh session, granting attackers the same database and host privileges as the operator.
Affected Products
- MongoDB mongosh versions prior to 2.3.9
- All platforms where mongosh is installed (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Workstations of database administrators and developers using interactive shell sessions
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-02-27 - CVE-2025-1692 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2025-09-22 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-1692
Vulnerability Analysis
The MongoDB Shell is an interactive JavaScript-based command-line interface for MongoDB. Like many terminal applications, it accepts pasted input from the operating system clipboard. CVE-2025-1692 stems from mongosh failing to neutralize control characters embedded in pasted content before evaluation.
Control characters such as carriage return (\r), line feed (\n), and ANSI escape sequences can rewrite the visible portion of a line, hide trailing commands, or force immediate execution. An attacker who stages a malicious clipboard payload through a compromised webpage, a copy button on a documentation site, or clipboard-hijacking malware can trick a user into pasting commands that look harmless but evaluate attacker-controlled JavaScript inside the shell.
Because mongosh evaluates JavaScript with full database privileges and shell capabilities, the injected code can read or modify any collection the user can access, exfiltrate credentials, or invoke operating system commands through shell helpers.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements in pasted input [CWE-150]. The shell's input handler renders and evaluates control sequences from the pasted buffer rather than stripping or escaping them prior to display and execution.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires user interaction. A typical chain involves an attacker hosting attacker-controlled text on a webpage with a misleading "copy" button or hijacking the clipboard via malware. When the victim pastes the buffer into an active mongosh prompt, the obfuscated payload executes. The CVSS vector reflects the network-reachable delivery surface combined with required user interaction.
The vulnerability is described in prose only; no public proof-of-concept code has been published. See the MongoDB Issue Tracker MONGOSH-2025 for vendor details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1692
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected JavaScript evaluation output, errors, or shell helper invocations appearing immediately after a paste action in mongosh
- mongosh history entries containing embedded control bytes such as \r, \\x1b[, or unusual ANSI escape sequences
- Anomalous database queries, user creation, or role grants originating from administrator workstations shortly after interactive shell use
Detection Strategies
- Inventory installed mongosh versions across endpoints and flag any host running a version below 2.3.9
- Inspect mongosh shell history files for non-printable control characters using tools such as cat -v or hex dumps
- Correlate MongoDB audit logs with workstation process telemetry to identify queries that do not match documented administrative workflows
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable MongoDB server-side audit logging for authentication, role changes, and eval-style operations executed from administrative accounts
- Monitor endpoints for clipboard-hijacking malware families and browser extensions that overwrite clipboard contents
- Alert on mongosh child processes spawning shells, network utilities, or credential access tools
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1692
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade mongosh to version 2.3.9 or later on every workstation, jump host, and CI runner where the shell is installed
- Instruct database operators to avoid pasting clipboard content directly into mongosh from untrusted web pages or documents
- Review recent administrative activity on MongoDB clusters for unauthorized changes that may have originated from a compromised paste session
Patch Information
MongoDB resolved CVE-2025-1692 in mongosh2.3.9. Refer to the vendor advisory at MongoDB Issue Tracker MONGOSH-2025 for the full fix description and download links.
Workarounds
- Paste clipboard content into a plain-text editor first to inspect for hidden control characters before transferring it to mongosh
- Use bracketed paste–aware terminals and review multi-line input prompts before pressing Enter
- Restrict administrative mongosh use to hardened jump hosts where browser-based clipboard exposure is minimized
# Verify the installed mongosh version and upgrade if below 2.3.9
mongosh --version
# Example upgrade via npm
npm install -g mongosh@latest
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
