# CVE-2025-8868: Chef Automate - SQLi

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2025-8868 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2025-8868

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 9.8
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** Progress Chef Automate
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor); CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection'))
- **Tags:** web_application

## Description

In Progress Chef Automate, versions earlier than 4.13.295, on Linux x86 platform, an authenticated attacker can gain access to Chef Automate restricted functionality in the compliance service via 

improperly neutralized inputs used in an SQL command using a well-known token.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2025-8868](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/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.

CrowdSec network observations suggest that most exploitation of CVE-2025-8868 involves focused reconnaissance to identify viable targets. Attackers typically tailor their campaigns based on system exposure and configuration. It is unlikely that a given attack is accidental.
CrowdSec network telemetry also shows that exploitation of CVE-2025-8868 has significantly declined over the past week. Attack volumes are well below the long-term average, suggesting attackers are rapidly losing interest. The vulnerability appears to be falling out of active use across most threat landscapes.

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.

## Timeline

- 2025-09-29: CVE Published. CVE-2025-8868 is published to NVD.
- 2025-10-15: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2025-8868 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2025-10-16: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2025-8868 for the first time.

## References

- https://docs.chef.io/release_notes_automate/#4.13.295
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2025/CVE-2025-8868.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2025-8868) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2025-8868. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.