smithyhq/sqladmin · Security

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

GHSA ID
GHSA-ccg5-9c8w-xh6v
CVE ID
CVE-2026-54529
Severity
medium
Published
Updated
CVSS
5.3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
CVSS v3
5.3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

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 asc↔desc 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.

CWEs

References