CVE-2025-4822: ScadaWatt Otopilot SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2025-4822 Overview

CVE-2025-4822 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability affecting Bayraktar Solar Energies ScadaWatt Otopilot, an industrial control system used in solar energy infrastructure. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through the application, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or complete system compromise.

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability in industrial SCADA software poses severe risks to critical energy infrastructure, enabling attackers to manipulate solar energy control systems without authentication.

Affected Products

• Bayraktar Solar Energies ScadaWatt Otopilot versions before 27.05.2025

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-24 - CVE-2025-4822 published to NVD
• 2025-07-25 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-4822

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands (CWE-89). The ScadaWatt Otopilot application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary SQL statements.

The attack can be conducted remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. Successful exploitation grants attackers the ability to read, modify, or delete data within the backend database. Given the industrial control system context, this could extend to manipulating operational parameters, accessing sensitive configuration data, or disrupting solar energy monitoring and control functions.

Root Cause

The root cause is the application's failure to implement proper input validation and parameterized queries (prepared statements) when handling user-supplied data in database operations. Instead of treating user input as data, the application concatenates it directly into SQL query strings, allowing specially crafted input to alter the query's intended logic.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network, requiring no authentication or privileges. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting vulnerable input fields or parameters within the ScadaWatt Otopilot web interface or API endpoints.

Typical SQL injection techniques such as UNION-based attacks, boolean-based blind injection, or time-based blind injection may be applicable depending on the specific injection point. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to:

• Extract sensitive data from the database including credentials and configuration
• Modify or delete critical operational data
• Potentially execute operating system commands if database permissions allow
• Establish persistent access to the compromised system

For detailed technical information, refer to the USOM Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-4822

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in application logs indicating malformed queries
• Database logs showing unexpected query patterns, UNION statements, or information schema access
• Web server access logs containing suspicious payloads with SQL syntax characters (', ", --, /*, UNION, SELECT)
• Unexpected database modifications or data exfiltration activity

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) with SQL injection detection rulesets to inspect incoming traffic to ScadaWatt Otopilot systems
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect anomalous queries or unauthorized data access patterns
• Enable verbose logging on web servers and database systems to capture potential injection attempts
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Establish baseline database query patterns and alert on deviations
• Monitor authentication logs for any unauthorized access following potential exploitation
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect lateral movement from compromised SCADA systems
• Set up real-time alerting for database errors or application exceptions that may indicate injection attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-4822

Immediate Actions Required

• Update ScadaWatt Otopilot to the patched version released on or after 27.05.2025
• Isolate vulnerable ScadaWatt Otopilot instances from direct internet exposure using network segmentation
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to filter SQL injection payloads
• Review database and application logs for signs of prior exploitation
• Implement network-level access controls limiting connectivity to trusted IP addresses only

Patch Information

Bayraktar Solar Energies has addressed this vulnerability in ScadaWatt Otopilot versions dated 27.05.2025 and later. Organizations should update to the latest available version immediately. Refer to the USOM Security Advisory for official guidance and patch details.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network segmentation to isolate SCADA systems from untrusted networks
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF with SQL injection filtering capabilities in front of the application
• Restrict access to the ScadaWatt Otopilot interface to authorized IP ranges only via firewall rules
• Disable or restrict database user permissions to minimum required privileges to limit exploitation impact
• Monitor all access to the system and implement multi-factor authentication where supported

# Example: Network isolation using iptables
# Restrict access to ScadaWatt Otopilot to trusted management network only
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s 10.0.10.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.0.10.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP