SQLi via Encoder.encodeForSQL in ESAPI esapi-java-legacy < 2.7.0.0
CVE-2025-5878 Published on June 29, 2025
ESAPI esapi-java-legacy SQL Injection Defense Encoder.encodeForSQL special element
A vulnerability was found in ESAPI esapi-java-legacy and classified as problematic. This issue affects the interface Encoder.encodeForSQL of the SQL Injection Defense. An attack leads to an improper neutralization of special elements. The attack may be initiated remotely and an exploit has been disclosed to the public. The project was contacted early about this issue and handled it with an exceptional level of professionalism. Upgrading to version 2.7.0.0 is able to address this issue. Commit ID f75ac2c2647a81d2cfbdc9c899f8719c240ed512 is disabling the feature by default and any attempt to use it will trigger a warning. And commit ID e2322914304d9b1c52523ff24be495b7832f6a56 is updating the misleading Java class documentation to warn about the risks.
Timeline
Advisory disclosed
VulDB entry created
VulDB entry last update 1 day later.
Weakness Types
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements
The software receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as control elements or syntactic markers when they are sent to a downstream component. Most languages and protocols have their own special elements such as characters and reserved words. These special elements can carry control implications. If software does not prevent external control or influence over the inclusion of such special elements, the control flow of the program may be altered from what was intended. For example, both Unix and Windows interpret the symbol < ("less than") as meaning "read input from a file".
Improper Input Validation
The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.
Products Associated with CVE-2025-5878
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Affected Versions
esapi-java-legacy:- Version 2.0-rc10 is affected.
- Version 2.0-rc11 is affected.
- Version 2.0.1 is affected.
- Version 2.0GA1 is affected.
- Version 2.1.0 is affected.
- Version 2.1.0.1 is affected.
- Version 2.2.0.0 is affected.
- Version 2.2.0.0-RC1 is affected.
- Version 2.2.0.0-RC2 is affected.
- Version 2.2.0.0-RC3 is affected.
- Version 2.2.1.0 is affected.
- Version 2.2.1.0-RC1 is affected.
- Version 2.2.1.1 is affected.
- Version 2.2.2.0 is affected.
- Version 2.2.3.0 is affected.
- Version 2.2.3.1 is affected.
- Version 2.3.0.0 is affected.
- Version 2.4.0.0 is affected.
- Version 2.5.0.0 is affected.
- Version 2.5.1.0 is affected.
- Version 2.5.2.0 is affected.
- Version 2.5.3.0 is affected.
- Version 2.5.3.1 is affected.
- Version 2.5.4.0 is affected.
- Version 2.5.5.0 is affected.
- Version 2.6.0.0 is affected.
- Version 2.6.1.0 is affected.
- Version 2.6.2.0 is affected.
- Version 2.7.0.0 is unaffected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.