CVE-2025-1693 in mongosh
Summary
by MITRE • 02/27/2025
The MongoDB Shell may be susceptible to control character injection where an attacker with control over the database cluster contents can inject control characters into the shell output. This may result in the display of falsified messages that appear to originate from mongosh or the underlying operating system, potentially misleading users into executing unsafe actions.
The vulnerability is exploitable only when mongosh is connected to a cluster that is partially or fully controlled by an attacker.
This issue affects mongosh versions prior to 2.3.9
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-1693 represents a significant security flaw in the MongoDB Shell (mongosh) that falls under the category of control character injection attacks. This type of vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate the output of the shell by injecting control characters that can alter how messages appear to users. The flaw specifically manifests when mongosh displays output that contains attacker-controlled data from database cluster contents, creating a scenario where legitimate-looking messages can be distorted or falsified. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they exploit the trust users place in the shell's interface and system messages. The attack vector requires the attacker to have control over at least a portion of the database cluster, making this a privilege escalation and social engineering combination that leverages both technical and human factors. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-116: Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output, which specifically addresses issues where output is not properly escaped, leading to injection attacks that can manipulate user interfaces and display mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when mongosh processes and displays data retrieved from database clusters that contain malicious control characters. These control characters can be embedded within database records, collection names, document fields, or any data that gets rendered in the shell's output. When the shell processes this data without proper sanitization or escaping, the control characters can alter the visual presentation of messages, potentially causing the shell to display misleading information that appears authentic. The vulnerability is particularly insidious because it operates at the presentation layer rather than the data layer, making it difficult to detect through traditional database security measures. Attackers can craft malicious database entries that, when displayed by mongosh, create false impressions of system status, error messages, or command outputs. This behavior aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.006: Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python, which involves using legitimate system tools to execute malicious code, though in this case the technique manifests through interface manipulation rather than code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-1693 extends beyond simple misinformation, as it can be weaponized to facilitate more sophisticated attacks through social engineering. Users who encounter falsified messages may be misled into taking actions that compromise system security, such as entering credentials in response to fake prompts or executing commands based on misleading status reports. The vulnerability's effectiveness is directly tied to the attacker's control over the database cluster, meaning that even partial compromise of a cluster can enable this attack. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning in environments where database access is shared or where clusters are managed by multiple parties. The risk is amplified when database administrators or developers use mongosh regularly, as they may become accustomed to certain output patterns and be less vigilant when encountering altered displays. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to 2.3.9, indicating that organizations using older versions of mongosh are particularly at risk and should prioritize upgrading their shell environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-1693 focus primarily on updating to the patched version of mongosh 2.3.9 or later, which implements proper output sanitization and control character escaping. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including regular security assessments of database content, monitoring for unusual or malformed data patterns, and establishing secure development practices that prevent injection of control characters into database systems. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the potential scope of an attacker's control over database clusters. Security awareness training for database administrators is crucial to help them recognize potentially manipulated shell outputs and understand the risks associated with working in compromised environments. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing automated monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous shell output patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation at all levels of application processing, from database storage to user interface rendering, and reinforces the principle that security measures must be comprehensive across all system components rather than relying on single points of defense.