Overview
This blog post details a critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-13507, affecting MongoDB’s time series processing functionality. This medium-severity issue can lead to process termination due to inconsistent object size validation. The vulnerability impacts MongoDB Server versions 7.0 prior to 7.0.26, 8.0 prior to 8.0.16, and 8.2 prior to 8.2.1. It is highly recommended that affected users upgrade to a patched version as soon as possible.
Technical Details
CVE-2025-13507 arises from inconsistent validation of object sizes during time series data processing within MongoDB. Specifically, an oversized BSON document may bypass initial size checks. This leads to the document being processed further down the line, where the size violation is eventually detected, resulting in an assertion failure and subsequent process termination. The vulnerability is rooted in the logic governing how MongoDB handles BSON documents within its time series engine. A failure to properly enforce size limits early in the processing pipeline is the key contributing factor.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) has assigned CVE-2025-13507 a score of 6.5, classifying it as a MEDIUM severity vulnerability. This score reflects the potential for denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, which can disrupt MongoDB services and potentially lead to data unavailability. While the vulnerability does not directly expose data, the process termination caused by the assertion failure can significantly impact application availability.
- CVSS Score: 6.5
- Severity: MEDIUM
Possible Impact
The exploitation of CVE-2025-13507 can result in the following:
- Denial of Service (DoS): The most likely outcome is a denial-of-service condition, where the MongoDB server process terminates unexpectedly. This prevents users from accessing or modifying data stored within the database.
- Application Downtime: Applications relying on the affected MongoDB instances will experience downtime, impacting business operations and potentially leading to financial losses.
- Data Corruption (Indirect): While not a direct consequence, repeated process terminations and potential restart failures can increase the risk of data corruption or inconsistencies.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
The recommended mitigation is to upgrade to a patched version of MongoDB Server. The following versions are not vulnerable:
- MongoDB Server 7.0.26 and later versions of the 7.0 series
- MongoDB Server 8.0.16 and later versions of the 8.0 series
- MongoDB Server 8.2.1 and later versions of the 8.2 series
Steps to Upgrade:
- Backup your data: Before performing any upgrade, ensure you have a recent and verified backup of your MongoDB data.
- Follow the official MongoDB upgrade documentation: Refer to the official MongoDB documentation for detailed instructions on upgrading your specific version. MongoDB 7.0 Upgrade Guide, MongoDB 8.0 Upgrade Guide, MongoDB 8.2 Upgrade Guide
- Test the upgrade in a staging environment: Before deploying the upgrade to production, thoroughly test it in a staging environment to ensure compatibility and stability.
- Monitor the upgraded instances: After upgrading, closely monitor the MongoDB instances for any unexpected behavior or performance issues.
If upgrading is not immediately feasible, consider implementing temporary workarounds. However, these workarounds may not be fully effective and should be treated as short-term solutions until an upgrade can be performed. Consult MongoDB’s documentation or support channels for potential workaround options.
References
- CVE ID: CVE-2025-13507
- MongoDB JIRA: SERVER-108565
- MongoDB Security Advisories: MongoDB Security Advisories (Check here for related advisories when available)
