Chef Automate - SQLi (CVE-2025-8868)

CVE-2025-8868 is a critical vulnerability in Progress Chef Automate versions prior to 4.13.295 on Linux x86, where an authenticated attacker can exploit improperly neutralized SQL inputs to access restricted compliance service functionality. This flaw could be leveraged to perform privilege escalation or unauthorized actions within the application, posing a significant risk to data integrity and system security.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 15th of October 2025.

Insights from the CrowdSec network reveal that the attackers trying to exploit CVE-2025-8868 are composed of a fairly even mix of opportunistic and targeted actors. Some attackers employ preliminary reconnaissance, while others use indiscriminate scanning. Additionally, according to week-over-week analysis by CrowdSec, exploitation of CVE-2025-8868 is surging. Attack volumes are spiking well above historical norms, indicating widespread and escalating interest from threat actors. CVE-2025-8868 is currently experiencing high visibility and active exploitation across the internet.

Attackers exploit the /api/v0/compliance/profiles/search endpoint by injecting malicious SQL payloads into the filters field of POST requests, often using a well-known token in the x-data-collector-token header to bypass authentication.