Summary
SQL Injection when creating an application with Reactive SQL backend
Impacted applications
- Monolith and microservice applications with SQL database and reactive with Spring WebFlux combination (other combinations are not affected and the issue is only present when you generate entities)
- Gateway applications with SQL database (issue will appear only when generating entities)
Workarounds
The problem lies in the EntityManager.java class when creating the where clause via Conditions.just(criteria.toString()).
just accepts the literal string provided. Criteria's toString method returns a plain string and this combination is vulnerable to sql injection as the string is not sanitized and will contain whatever used passed as input using any plain SQL
So be careful when combining criterias and conditions. As a workaround we have removed the possibility to pass any user-provided criteria to the createSelect method of EntityManager.
Example
Criteria criteria = Criteria.where("name").is("foobar';DROP TABLE example;--"); // parameter is user provided input
criteria.toString(); // --> "'foobar';DROP TABLE example;--'"
References
More details in this Issue report
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in JHipster issue tracker
Impact
SQL Injection vulnerability in entities for applications generated with the option "reactive with Spring WebFlux" enabled and an SQL database using r2dbc. Applications created without "reactive with Spring WebFlux" and applications with NoSQL databases are not affected.
If you have generated a microservice Gateway using the affected version, you might be impacted as Gateways are reactive by default.
Currently, SQL injection is possible in the findAllBy(Pageable pageable, Criteria criteria) method of an entity repository class generated in these applications as the where clause using Criteria for queries are not sanitized and user input is passed on as it is by the criteria.
Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access. Typical impact: data disclosure or modification.
CVE-2022-24815 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (7.8.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Patched in v7.8.1
The findAllBy(Pageable pageable, Criteria criteria) method has been removed from the entity repositories and org.springframework.data.relational.core.query.Criteria support in the underlying methods has been replaced with org.springframework.data.relational.core.sql.Condition. This means you won't be able to do custom filtering in the generated applications.
If you have existing reactive applications generated by the impacted version, we advise you to audit for use of Criteria and take appropriate actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-24815? CVE-2022-24815 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in generator-jhipster (npm), affecting versions >= 7.0.0, < 7.8.1. It is fixed in 7.8.1. Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access.
- How severe is CVE-2022-24815? CVE-2022-24815 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of generator-jhipster are affected by CVE-2022-24815? generator-jhipster (npm) versions >= 7.0.0, < 7.8.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-24815? Yes. CVE-2022-24815 is fixed in 7.8.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-24815 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-24815 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-24815 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-24815? Upgrade
generator-jhipsterto 7.8.1 or later.