CVE-2025-6714 in Server
Summary
by MITRE • 07/07/2025
MongoDB Server's mongos component can become unresponsive to new connections due to incorrect handling of incomplete data. This affects MongoDB when configured with load balancer support. This issue affects MongoDB Server v6.0 prior to 6.0.23, MongoDB Server v7.0 prior to 7.0.20 and MongoDB Server v8.0 prior to 8.0.9
Required Configuration:
This affects MongoDB sharded clusters when configured with load balancer support for mongos using HAProxy on specified ports.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-6714 represents a critical denial of service weakness in MongoDB's mongos component that specifically impacts sharded cluster deployments utilizing load balancer support. This flaw manifests when mongos instances process incomplete data packets, causing the service to become unresponsive to new connection requests and effectively rendering the database cluster unavailable to legitimate users. The issue is particularly concerning in production environments where high availability and continuous access to data are paramount for business operations. The vulnerability affects multiple MongoDB server versions including v6.0 prior to 6.0.23, v7.0 prior to 7.0.20, and v8.0 prior to 8.0.9, indicating a widespread impact across the MongoDB ecosystem that requires immediate attention from system administrators and security teams.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of incomplete data streams within the mongos component's connection processing logic. When mongos receives data packets that are incomplete or malformed, the component fails to properly terminate or reject these connections, leading to resource exhaustion and connection queue buildup. This behavior creates a condition where the mongos process becomes overwhelmed with pending connections that cannot be properly processed, ultimately causing the service to become unresponsive. The flaw operates at the network protocol handling level and specifically affects the load balancer integration mechanism, where HAProxy configurations interact with mongos instances on designated ports, creating a cascade effect that can bring entire database clusters to a halt.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe threat to database availability and system reliability in MongoDB sharded clusters. When exploited, the vulnerability can cause complete service disruption for applications dependent on the affected MongoDB instances, resulting in potential data access outages, application failures, and significant business disruption. The impact is amplified in environments where multiple applications rely on the same database cluster, as a single vulnerable mongos instance can affect numerous services simultaneously. Organizations utilizing MongoDB with load balancer configurations are particularly at risk, as the vulnerability specifically targets these deployment patterns that are common in enterprise environments where high availability and load distribution are critical requirements.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" and specifically relates to improper handling of input data that leads to resource exhaustion. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, "Resource Hijacking," where adversaries can consume system resources to deny service to legitimate users. The attack surface is particularly broad given that the vulnerability affects multiple MongoDB versions and deployment patterns, making it a prime target for automated exploitation tools. Organizations should consider implementing network-level mitigations such as connection rate limiting and monitoring for unusual connection patterns, while also preparing for immediate patching of affected systems.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to the patched versions of MongoDB, specifically version 6.0.23, 7.0.20, and 8.0.9 respectively for each affected major version. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring solutions that can detect connection queue buildup and resource exhaustion patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit exposure of mongos instances to only trusted load balancer configurations. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and resource management in distributed database systems, particularly in high-availability configurations where failure of individual components can cascade throughout the entire system. Regular security assessments of database configurations and deployment patterns should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments.