GHSA-cxv7-gmmp-228p
NocoDB: Postgres SQL Injection in Formula `ARRAYSORT`
Packages
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
### Summary
An authenticated user with `columnAdd` permission on a Postgres-backed base can inject arbitrary SQL into the formula engine via the optional `direction` argument of `ARRAYSORT(...)`. The value is unrestricted by formula validation and embedded into a `knex.raw` `ORDER BY` clause, executing during column creation and on every subsequent record read of the formula column.
### Details
The vulnerability is specific to the Postgres mapping for `ARRAYSORT` in `packages/nocodb/src/db/functionMappings/pg.ts`. Two factors combine:
1. `ARRAYSORT` declares only argument count, not `validation.args.type`, so `validate-extract-tree.ts` does not enforce an allowlist on the second argument.
2. The Postgres mapping then passes the attacker-controlled value through `sanitize(knex.raw(...))` into a raw SQL fragment:
```ts
const direction = pt.arguments[1]
? sanitize(
knex.raw(pt.arguments[1]?.value ?? (await fn(pt.arguments[1])).builder),
)
: knex.raw('asc');
return {
builder: knex.raw(`ARRAY(SELECT UNNEST(??) ORDER BY 1 ??)`, [source, direction]),
};
```
`sanitize()` in `sqlSanitize.ts` only escapes `?` placeholder characters; it does not validate SQL syntax. A payload such as `"desc, (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM generate_series(1,30000000))"` is accepted, persisted, and re-executed on every read of the formula column.
### Impact
- Authenticated SQL injection against Postgres-backed bases.
- Requires `columnAdd` permission (creator/owner-level).
- Proven impact: attacker-controlled heavy SQL causing multi-second query stalls (DoS).
- Potentially extendable to broader SQL injection outcomes depending on database permissions and deployment hardening.
- Limited to Postgres backends.
### Credit
This issue was reported by [@leduckhuong](https://github.com/leduckhuong).
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.