CVE-2025-58450: pREST PostgreSQL REST SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-58450 Overview

CVE-2025-58450 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability affecting pREST (PostgreSQL REST), an API that delivers an application on top of a PostgreSQL database. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 2.0.0-rc3 where input validation mechanisms fail to provide adequate protection against SQL injection attempts. This flaw allows unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through the API, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or complete database compromise.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit inadequate input validation to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying PostgreSQL database, potentially resulting in complete data breach, data manipulation, or database destruction.

Affected Products

• pREST (PostgreSQL REST) versions prior to 2.0.0-rc3

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-09-08 - CVE-2025-58450 published to NVD
• 2025-09-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-58450

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (SQL Injection), a prevalent and dangerous web application vulnerability. The pREST API, designed to provide RESTful access to PostgreSQL databases, contains flawed input validation logic that fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries.

The core issue lies in the validation routines implemented in versions before 2.0.0-rc3. While some form of input validation exists, it does not adequately protect against crafted injection payloads. Attackers can bypass these insufficient controls by submitting specially crafted requests containing SQL metacharacters or injection sequences that the validation fails to detect or neutralize.

Since pREST operates as a direct interface to PostgreSQL databases, successful exploitation grants attackers the ability to execute arbitrary SQL commands with the privileges of the database user configured for the pREST application. This can lead to extraction of sensitive data, modification or deletion of database records, and potentially execution of database administrative functions.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-58450 is inadequate input validation in the pREST API layer. The validation mechanisms present in affected versions fail to properly sanitize or parameterize user input before constructing SQL queries. This oversight allows SQL metacharacters and injection payloads to pass through validation checks and reach the database query execution layer, where they are interpreted as executable SQL commands rather than data values.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to pREST API endpoints, embedding SQL injection payloads within request parameters, headers, or body content. The insufficient validation allows these payloads to be incorporated into database queries, enabling the attacker to:

• Extract sensitive data from the database through UNION-based or blind SQL injection techniques
• Modify or delete existing database records
• Create new administrative accounts or escalate privileges within the database
• Potentially execute operating system commands if the database is configured with extended stored procedures

The attack can be performed remotely from any network location that can reach the pREST API endpoint, making internet-facing deployments particularly vulnerable.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-58450

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed API requests containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or DROP in unexpected parameters
• Database query logs showing suspicious queries with injection patterns or unexpected SQL syntax
• Unexpected data extraction or exfiltration from the PostgreSQL database
• Anomalous database errors or timeout events that may indicate blind SQL injection attempts

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in incoming requests to pREST endpoints
• Enable and monitor PostgreSQL query logging to identify suspicious or malformed queries that may indicate injection attempts
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns targeting REST APIs
• Implement anomaly detection for API request patterns, flagging requests with unusual characters or SQL-like syntax

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor pREST API access logs for requests containing SQL metacharacters or injection keywords
• Configure database auditing to track all queries executed against sensitive tables
• Set up alerts for failed authentication attempts or privilege escalation events in PostgreSQL
• Implement real-time monitoring of database query execution times to detect blind injection attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58450

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade pREST to version 2.0.0-rc3 or later immediately to apply the security patch
• Conduct a security audit of database logs to identify any potential exploitation attempts
• Review and restrict network access to pREST API endpoints using firewall rules or network segmentation
• Rotate database credentials if exploitation is suspected

Patch Information

The pREST development team has released version 2.0.0-rc3 which contains a patch addressing this SQL injection vulnerability. The fix improves input validation to properly sanitize user input before SQL query construction. Organizations should upgrade to this patched version as soon as possible.

The patch commit is available for review at the GitHub Commit Update. Additional details about the vulnerability and remediation can be found in the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-p46v-f2x8-qp98.

Workarounds

• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) in front of pREST to filter SQL injection payloads until the upgrade can be completed
• Restrict database user privileges for the pREST application to the minimum required operations, limiting potential damage from successful exploitation
• Implement network-level access controls to limit which systems can reach pREST API endpoints
• Consider temporarily disabling the pREST service for internet-facing deployments until the patch is applied

# Example: Update pREST to patched version
# Using Go modules to update to the patched version
go get github.com/prest/prest@v2.0.0-rc3
go mod tidy

# Restart the pREST service after upgrade
systemctl restart prest