CVE-2025-6706
📋 TL;DR
An authenticated MongoDB user can trigger a use-after-free vulnerability by executing specific aggregation pipeline operations, causing server crashes even without shutdown privileges. This affects MongoDB Server versions 6.0 before 6.0.21, 7.0 before 7.0.17, and 8.0 before 8.0.4 when the SBE engine is enabled.
💻 Affected Systems
- MongoDB Server
📦 What is this software?
Mongodb by Mongodb
Mongodb by Mongodb
Mongodb by Mongodb
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Denial of service through repeated server crashes, potentially disrupting database availability and dependent applications.
Likely Case
Accidental or intentional server crashes by authenticated users, causing temporary service disruption.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper access controls limiting authenticated users and monitoring for suspicious aggregation queries.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated access and knowledge of specific aggregation pipeline expressions. No public exploit available at disclosure.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: v6.0.21, v7.0.17, v8.0.4
Vendor Advisory: https://jira.mongodb.org/browse/SERVER-106746
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download patched version from MongoDB website. 2. Stop MongoDB service. 3. Backup data and configuration. 4. Install patched version. 5. Restart MongoDB service. 6. Verify version and functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable SBE Engine
allTemporarily disable the Slot-Based Execution engine to mitigate vulnerability
mongod --setParameter internalQueryFrameworkControl="forceClassicEngine"
Restrict Aggregation Operations
allLimit user permissions to prevent execution of aggregation pipeline operations
db.revokeRolesFromUser("username", [{ role: "readWrite", db: "dbname" }])
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit authenticated users who can execute aggregation operations
- Monitor logs for unusual aggregation queries and implement rate limiting on aggregation operations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check MongoDB version and SBE engine status: db.runCommand({buildInfo:1}) and db.adminCommand({getParameter:1, internalQueryFrameworkControl:1})Check Version:
db.version()Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version is patched: db.version() should return 6.0.21, 7.0.17, or 8.0.4 or higher📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected server crashes
- Aggregation pipeline errors with specific expressions
- Authentication logs showing users executing aggregation operations
Network Indicators:
- Increased failed connection attempts after crashes
- Unusual aggregation query patterns
SIEM Query:
source="mongodb.log" AND ("aggregation" OR "pipeline") AND ("error" OR "crash" OR "exception")