GHSA-qvr7-7g55-69xj is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) SQL Injection vulnerability in pimcore/pimcore. A fix is available for pimcore/pimcore — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Pimcore Has an Incomplete Patch for CVE-2023-30848
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-qvr7-7g55-69xj.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-qvr7-7g55-69xj plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
pimcore/pimcore🐘pimcore/pimcoreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
An incomplete SQL injection patch in the Admin Search Find API allows an authenticated attacker to perform blind SQL injection. Although CVE-2023-30848 attempted to mitigate SQL injection by removing SQL comments (--) and catching syntax errors, the fix is insufficient. Attackers can still inject SQL payloads that do not rely on comments and infer database information via blind techniques. This vulnerability affects the admin interface and can lead to database information disclosure.
Details
The vulnerability exists in the Admin Search Find API endpoint:
/admin/search/search/find
In CVE-2023-30848, the following patch was applied:
- SQL comments are removed by replacing
-- - SQL syntax errors are caught and replaced with a generic exception
Relevant commit:
https://github.com/pimcore/pimcore/commit/25ad8674886f2b938243cbe13e33e204a2e35cc3
Key changes include:
// remove sql comments
$fields = str_replace('--', '', $fields);
try {
$hits = $searcherList->load();
} catch (SyntaxErrorException $syntaxErrorException) {
throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Check your arguments.');
}
However, this mitigation is incomplete for the following reasons:
1. Only -- is filtered
SQL injection does not require SQL comments. Payloads using boolean conditions, SQL functions, or time-based expressions remain effective.
2. Exception handling only suppresses error output
While syntax errors no longer produce detailed error messages, the underlying SQL query is still executed. This allows attackers to perform blind SQL injection.
3. User-controlled input is still used in SQL query construction
The fields[] parameter is attacker-controlled and can be abused to inject SQL expressions into the generated query.
As a result, attackers can craft payloads that do not trigger syntax errors and still influence SQL execution.
PoC
The following request demonstrates a blind SQL injection via the fields[] parameter.
Boolean-based Blind Injection
GET /admin/search/search/find?query=2&
fields[]=field1 AND (SELECT CASE WHEN (1=1) THEN 1 ELSE 0 END)=1~field2&
filter=[{"property":"value"}]&
class=classname
Time-based Blind Injection
GET /admin/search/search/find?query=2&
fields[]=field1 AND IF(1=1,SLEEP(5),0)~field2&
filter=[{"property":"value"}]&
class=classname
Observed behavior:
-
When the condition is true, the response is delayed (e.g., ~5 seconds)
-
When the condition is false, the response is returned immediately
This confirms that injected SQL expressions are executed successfully.
Impact
This is a Blind SQL Injection vulnerability.
-
Affected users: Systems exposing the Admin Search Find API to authenticated users
-
Attack requirements: Authenticated access to the admin interface
-
Potential impact:
-
Database schema enumeration
-
Extraction of sensitive data via blind SQL injection
-
Potential full database compromise depending on database privileges
-
This issue demonstrates that the fix for CVE-2023-30848 is incomplete.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | pimcore/pimcore | ≥ 12.0.0-RC1&&< 12.3.1 | 12.3.1composer require pimcore/pimcore:^12.3.1 |
| 🐘Packagist | pimcore/pimcore | all versions | 11.5.14composer require pimcore/pimcore:^11.5.14 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pimcore/pimcore, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update pimcore/pimcore to 12.3.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qvr7-7g55-69xj is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-qvr7-7g55-69xj can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-qvr7-7g55-69xj. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-qvr7-7g55-69xj in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-qvr7-7g55-69xj across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.