GHSA-ccg5-9c8w-xh6vMediumCVSS 5.3

SQLAdmin: Unvalidated sortBy parameter in `ModelView` bypasses `column_sortable_list`

Published
September 9, 2026
Last Modified
September 9, 2026

🔗 CVE IDs covered (1)

📋 Description

Summary

ModelView.sort_query() uses the attacker-controlled sortBy list-view query parameter without checking it against the configured column_sortable_list allow-list. The value is resolved with getattr(model, ...) and fed into relationship joins and order_by(), so a request can sort by any column of the model — including ones hidden from column_list — and, via a dotted path, by columns of related models. Because row order then reflects the value of an unexposed column, this is an information-exposure ordering oracle.

Root cause

column_sortable_list is consulted only in the list template to decide which header links to render; the server never enforces it, so removing a column from the UI does not prevent sorting by it.

Exploitation

A single request leaks the relative ordering of an unexposed column; the ascdesc reversal confirms rows are ordered by the secret's actual value. Pairing sortBy with searchable/filterable columns and pagination can narrow the oracle toward specific values, though value recovery is conditional on having a filterable target column.

🎯 Affected products1

  • pip/sqladmin:< 0.27.1

🔗 References (3)