TypeORM: SQL Injection in UpdateQueryBuilder/SoftDeleteQueryBuilder orderBy (MySQL/MariaDB)GHSA-9ggv-8w38-r7pm
MEDIUMFix: typeorm/typeorm@1b66c44GHSA-9ggv-8w38-r7pm is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) vulnerability in typeorm. A fix is available for typeorm — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
typeormnpmDescription
Impact
Blind SQL injection vulnerability in UpdateQueryBuilder and SoftDeleteQueryBuilder affecting MySQL and MariaDB users.
UpdateQueryBuilder and SoftDeleteQueryBuilder (including their addOrderBy variants) do not validate the order parameter against an allowlist of permitted values (ASC/DESC). The caller-supplied value is stored verbatim and concatenated directly into the generated SQL string without quoting or parameterization. SelectQueryBuilder.orderBy performs this validation correctly; the affected builders do not.
If any code path passes user-controlled input to orderBy/addOrderBy on an update or soft-delete query, an attacker can inject arbitrary SQL via the sort direction — even when the column name itself is hardcoded.
Demonstrated impact includes:
- Data exfiltration via time-based blind extraction (e.g. using
SLEEP()to infer secret values bit by bit) - Row targeting manipulation in queries using
LIMITpatterns - Denial of service via
SLEEP()-based query exhaustion
CVSS 3.1: 8.6 (High) — AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
Affected files (relative to commit 73fda419):
src/query-builder/UpdateQueryBuilder.ts: lines 383–419 and 718–744src/query-builder/SoftDeleteQueryBuilder.ts: lines 352–388 and 520–546
The vulnerability was introduced in commit 03799bd2 (v0.1.12) and is present through the latest release (v0.3.28).
Patches
A fix has been released in 0.3.29 (1b66c44) and 1.0.0 (93eec63).
Workarounds
Applications can manually validate the order argument before passing it to orderBy or addOrderBy on update or soft-delete query builders:
const direction = userInput.toUpperCase();
if (direction !== 'ASC' && direction !== 'DESC') {
throw new Error('Invalid sort direction');
}
qb.orderBy(column, direction as 'ASC' | 'DESC');
Do not pass user-controlled values to orderBy/addOrderBy on UpdateQueryBuilder or SoftDeleteQueryBuilder without this validation.
References
- Introduced in commit 03799bd2 (v0.1.12)
- Confirmed present in v0.3.28 (commit 73fda419)
- See
SelectQueryBuilder.orderByfor the correct validation pattern this fix should mirror
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | typeorm | ≥ 0.1.12&&< 0.3.29 | 0.3.29npm install typeorm@0.3.29 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for typeorm, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update typeorm to 0.3.29 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-9ggv-8w38-r7pm is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Until you can upgrade, make sure every query built from user input uses parameterised statements or a prepared-statement API rather than string concatenation, and reduce the database account's privileges so an injected query cannot read or alter data beyond what the feature needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-9ggv-8w38-r7pm in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.