Overview

In this article, we are going to delve into the details of an identified vulnerability in Progress Chef Automate, CVE-2025-6724. This vulnerability affects versions earlier than 4.13.295 and is specific to Linux x86 platform. It is of significant concern as an authenticated attacker can gain access to restricted functionality in multiple Chef Automate services. This is achieved via improperly neutralized inputs that are used in an SQL command, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage. In an era where data security is paramount, understanding and mitigating such vulnerabilities is crucial for maintaining the integrity of our systems.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-6724 Severity: High (8.8 CVSS Score) Attack Vector: Network Privileges Required: Low (Authenticated User) User Interaction: None Impact: System compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Progress Chef Automate | Versions earlier than 4.13.295

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability stems from the usage of improperly neutralized user inputs that are utilized in SQL commands. This means that the application does not adequately sanitize user-supplied input, potentially leading to SQL injection. An attacker, who is authenticated, can therefore manipulate the SQL query to gain unauthorized access to the system’s database, potentially compromising the system or causing data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

This example represents a potential SQL injection attack, where the “malicious_payload” might be an SQL statement designed to manipulate the database. Note that this is a hypothetical scenario only, created to illustrate the nature of the vulnerability, and does not represent an actual exploit.

POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "malicious_payload": "'; DROP TABLE users; --" }

In this example, if the application does not properly sanitize the input, the SQL statement embedded in the “malicious_payload” would be executed, potentially leading to severe consequences such as deletion of the users table in this case.

Mitigation

To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. These can help to prevent SQL injection attempts by blocking suspicious SQL queries. It is also recommended to always follow best practices for SQL queries, such as using parameterized queries or prepared statements, to prevent SQL injection vulnerabilities.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

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