CVE-2023-25813

If the user passed values such as

{
  "firstName": "OR true; DROP TABLE users;",
  "lastName": ":firstName"
}

Sequelize would first generate this query:

SELECT * FROM users WHERE soundex("firstName") = soundex(:firstName) OR "lastName" = ':firstName'

Then would inject replacements in it, which resulted in this:

SELECT * FROM users WHERE soundex("firstName") = soundex('OR true; DROP TABLE users;') OR "lastName" = ''OR true; DROP TABLE users;''

As you can see this resulted in arbitrary user-provided SQL being executed.

The issue was fixed in Sequelize 6.19.1

Workarounds

Do not use the replacements and the where option in the same query if you are not using Sequelize >= 6.19.1

References

See this thread for more information: https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/issues/14519

Snyk: https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-SEQUELIZE-2932027

The SQL injection exploit is related to replacements. Here is such an example:

In the following query, some parameters are passed through replacements, and some are passed directly through the where option.

User.findAll({
  where: or(
    literal('soundex("firstName") = soundex(:firstName)'),
    { lastName: lastName },
  ),
  replacements: { firstName },
})

This is a very legitimate use case, but this query was vulnerable to SQL injection due to how Sequelize processed the query: Sequelize built a first query using the where option, then passed it over to sequelize.query which parsed the resulting SQL to inject all :replacements.

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-2023-25813 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). 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 (6.19.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2023-25813? CVE-2023-25813 is a critical-severity SQL injection vulnerability in sequelize (npm), affecting versions < 6.19.1. It is fixed in 6.19.1. Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-25813? CVE-2023-25813 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). 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.
3. Which versions of sequelize are affected by CVE-2023-25813? sequelize (npm) versions < 6.19.1 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-25813? Yes. CVE-2023-25813 is fixed in 6.19.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-25813 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-25813 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-25813 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-25813? Upgrade sequelize to 6.19.1 or later.