Chat2DB SQL Injection Bug - CVE-2025-9148

Chat2DB (they call it an "AI-driven database tool" because everything is AI now) has an input validation problem in ai/chat2db/server/web/api/controller/data/source/DataSourceController.java. How is it 2025 and we're still seeing unparameterized queries? Affects 0.3.7 and older versions, but double-check their releases because I'm not their release manager.

What's Actually Broken

When you set up database connections in Chat2DB, it doesn't properly validate what you put in the connection parameters. Someone could stuff SQL commands in there and they'd get executed. I've exploited this exact bug pattern in like three different database tools this year - always the same story: developers concatenating user input because parameterized queries are "too complicated" until someone owns their entire database. Had a similar thing happen with some database tool a few months back. Took forever to figure out it was the connection form, and of course it broke staging right before a demo.

The CVE entry lists it as network exploitable, which means anyone on your network can potentially pwn your databases. Really bad news if you've exposed Chat2DB to the internet.

Impact If You're Running This Thing

If you've got Chat2DB hooked up to production databases, an attacker could potentially:

• Pull data from whatever databases you've connected
• Mess with records if your database user has write permissions
• Escalate privileges depending on your database setup

This bug doesn't discriminate - MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle - it'll fuck them all equally. Since Chat2DB is basically a central hub for database access, getting pwned through it is worse than a single database compromise. It's like leaving your house keys in the front door with a note saying "please rob me."

Who Needs to Worry

Anyone running vulnerable versions, which I think is 0.3.7 and below. This includes:

• Docker deployments (probably most common)
• Local installations on dev machines
• Production instances (hopefully you didn't expose these to the internet)

I haven't seen active exploitation in the wild yet, but SQL injection vulnerabilities don't stay quiet for long once they're public.

Check Your Version First

Figure out what version you're running before you panic:

If you're using Docker:

docker exec chat2db cat /opt/chat2db/version.txt

That path probably doesn't exist because Docker path changes every release. You can also try:

docker exec chat2db ls /opt/chat2db/
## Or if they moved it again:
docker exec chat2db find / -name \"*version*\" 2>/dev/null

For local installations:

Check Help → About in the Chat2DB interface. The GUI version checker is probably broken like everything else in security tools, but it should show you the version number. On Windows it's sometimes in the title bar, on macOS it might be in the app info.

Temporary Workarounds

If you can't patch immediately, here's what I'd do to reduce risk:

Lock down network access:

• Block Chat2DB from the internet if it's exposed
• Firewall it to only trusted IPs
• Stick a reverse proxy in front if you need external access

Limit the damage:

• Don't use database admin accounts with Chat2DB
• Create read-only or limited users for connections
• Turn on query logging so you can spot weird activity

What Are Your Options?

No idea if they've released a patched version yet - go check their GitHub releases to see if there's anything newer than 0.3.7. Last I checked a couple weeks ago, they were still on 0.3.7.

If there's no patch available:

Switch to something else (probably the smart move):

• DBeaver is solid and connects to everything Chat2DB does
• DataGrip if you don't mind paying for JetBrains stuff
• TablePlus is decent on macOS/Windows
• Even phpMyAdmin beats a vulnerable database client

Build your own fix (if you're feeling brave):

The bug is in ai/chat2db/server/web/api/controller/data/source/DataSourceController.java. Basically you need to:

• Add input validation for database connection parameters
• Use parameterized queries instead of string concatenation
• Sanitize whatever users put in connection forms

Fork their repo, fix the code, build it yourself. Standard SQL injection prevention stuff.

Run it completely isolated:

• Air-gap it from the internet
• Dedicated network segment
• Only trusted users can access it
• Watch logs constantly

No idea how fast they patch stuff - they're pretty new so who knows.

Keep an Eye on Things

Check for official patches:

• Watch the Chat2DB GitHub releases
• GitHub issue trackers are where security vulnerabilities go to die in startups
• CVE databases will update if they release a fix

If you patched it yourself:

• Test that your fix actually works (try to inject SQL, make sure it fails)
• Verify normal database connections still work
• Document what you changed for when they release an official update

Monitor for attacks:

• Turn on query logging for databases Chat2DB connects to
• Watch for weird connection attempts in logs
• I haven't seen active scanning yet but SQL injection bugs don't stay quiet long

Security Shit You Should Already Be Doing

Database User Permissions

Don't give Chat2DB admin privileges. Create a limited database user:

-- MySQL example - adjust for your setup
CREATE USER 'chat2db_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'some_password';
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE ON your_database.* TO 'chat2db_user'@'%';
-- Skip CREATE, DROP, ALTER, SUPER - Chat2DB doesn't need those for normal usage

Password management:

• Don't hardcode passwords in configs (looking at you, every startup ever)
• Rotate them when team members leave

Network Setup

Don't expose Chat2DB to the internet unless you have to. I've seen too many database tools get pwned because someone thought "what could go wrong?"

## Basic firewall rule to limit access to your office network
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 10824 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 10824 -j DROP

If you need remote access:

• Stick Nginx or Apache in front for HTTPS
• Let's Encrypt works for free SSL
• Cloudflare Tunnel is handy for secure remote access
• Don't expose Chat2DB's default port directly

Watch for Attacks

Turn on query logging if you want to catch injection attempts:

MySQL (your general_log will kill performance but it's worth it):

SET GLOBAL general_log = 'ON';
SET GLOBAL log_output = 'FILE';

PostgreSQL (in postgresql.conf):

log_statement = 'all'

Red flags to look for:

• UNION SELECT queries that shouldn't be there
• Queries trying to access information_schema or system tables
• Connection attempts from weird IPs

Updates

Chat2DB is pretty new so no idea about their update track record - check their GitHub releases occasionally or get burned.

• Follow their GitHub releases if you're using this in production
• Test updates somewhere safe first - I've seen database tools break connections after updates. Spent like 3 hours a while back fixing a production Chat2DB instance that stopped connecting to PostgreSQL after an update.
• Don't enable auto-updates for database clients unless you like debugging connection issues at 2am on Saturday

If You Have Compliance Requirements

If you're in a regulated industry, auditors will probably ask about this eventually:

• Document how you handled the CVE (patched, replaced, isolated, whatever)
• Show that database users have appropriate permissions
• Have some kind of incident response process written down

Most auditors just want to see you're not completely ignoring security issues.

Deployment Setup

If you're running this in production:

• Keep it on internal networks, don't expose to internet
• Separate server from your actual databases if possible
• Use read-only database replicas for reporting stuff
• Back up Chat2DB configs occasionally

Docker considerations:

• Don't run containers as root user
• Pin to specific version tags instead of "latest"
• Use Docker secrets or environment variables for passwords

Chat2DB is basically a pretty UI on top of database connections - don't expect enterprise-grade security from a startup that prioritizes features over security reviews. Don't give it more database privileges than it actually needs.