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GHSA-3xm7-qw7j-qc8v
No affected components available
Summary
The @aborruso/ckan-mcp-server MCP server provides tools including ckan_package_search and sparql_query that accept a base_url parameter, making HTTP requests to arbitrary endpoints without restriction. A CKAN portal client has no legitimate reason to contact cloud metadata or internal network services.
Severity
Attack complexity is HIGH because exploitation requires prompt injection via malicious content (webpage, document) while the victim's AI assistant has this MCP server connected.
Proof of Concept
Tested inside Docker-in-Docker isolated environment with canary HTTP sidecar.
{"tool": "ckan_package_search", "arguments": {"base_url": "http://canary:8080/ssrf", "query": "test"}}
Result: Canary received 9 HTTP requests. The high request volume confirms no rate limiting or URL validation.
Root Cause
No URL validation on base_url parameter. No private IP blocking (RFC 1918, link-local 169.254.x.x), no cloud metadata blocking. The sparql_query and ckan_datastore_search_sql tools also accept arbitrary base URLs and expose injection surfaces.
Impact
Internal network scanning, cloud metadata theft (IAM credentials via IMDS at 169.254.169.254), potential SQL/SPARQL injection via unsanitized query parameters. Attack requires prompt injection to control the base_url parameter.
Recommended Fix
- Validate
base_urlagainst a configurable allowlist of permitted CKAN portals - Block private IP ranges (RFC 1918, link-local)
- Block cloud metadata endpoints (169.254.169.254)
- Sanitize SQL input for datastore queries
- SPARQL endpoint allowlist
Credit
Discovered by Andrei Boldyrev of Munio Security Research using munio
The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker needs basic access or low-level privileges. The attacker needs the user to perform some action, like clicking a link. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a high impact on the confidentiality of the information.
Exploitation attempts have been detected. Elevated vigilance and prompt remediation are advised.
The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.
We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.
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