Local privilege escalation via untrusted module search
Published Feb 27, 2025 · Updated Feb 27, 2025
Untrusted search path handling in MongoDB Shell before 2.3.0 allows local users to gain elevated privileges on Windows. When a higher-privileged user launches mongosh, its module lookup can load an attacker-crafted file from C:\node_modules instead of trusted packaged code. A local low-privileged user must first write the crafted file and wait for that shell execution; successful exploitation performs unauthorized actions with the higher-privileged user's rights.
Summary
What happened
Untrusted search path handling in MongoDB Shell before 2.3.0 allows local users to gain elevated privileges on Windows. When a higher-privileged user launches mongosh, its module lookup can load an attacker-crafted file from C:\node_modules instead of trusted packaged code. A local low-privileged user must first write the crafted file and wait for that shell execution; successful exploitation performs unauthorized actions with the higher-privileged user's rights.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-1756
- Published
- Feb 27, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 27, 2025
- Vendor
- MongoDB
- Product
- MongoDB Shell
- Classifications
- CWE-426, T1574.008
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 27, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 27, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <2.3.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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