Vulnerability Type: CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') Attack type: Authenticated remote Impact: Telemetry data disclosure and deletion Affected components: openc3-tsdb (QuestDB)
A SQL injection vulnerability exists in the Time-Series Database (TSDB) component of COSMOS. The tsdb_lookup function in the cvt_model.rb file directly places user-supplied input into a SQL query without sanitizing the input. As a result, a user can break out of the initial SQL statement and execute arbitrary SQL commands, including deleting data.
Figure 1: Source code vulnerable to SQL injection
Additionally, the get_tlm_values RPC endpoint only requires “tlm” permissions, allowing any user with the Admin, Operator, Viewer, or Runner roles to send a request to the TSDB. This permission is defined in roles-permissions.md to allow for the user to view telemetry data, but this vulnerability also allows them to delete data and tables.
Figure 2: Source code showing the required permissions for the get_tlm_values endpoint
Sending a normal request to the endpoint brings back a single array of values for the parameter:
Figure 3: A normal request to the get_tlm_values endpoint
However, sending a specially crafted request within the start_time variable brings back all the data in the database:
Figure 4: The request and response after sending the SQL injection payload This payload can be modified to executes SQL commands in the TSDB.
Figure 5: SQL injection used to execute arbitrary SQL command The user can then delete all the historical data in the database:
Figure 6: Example payload dropping the tables
get_tlm_values endpoint.start_time key to the request body and place the following in the value:‘ OR 1=1 --
• Sanitize all user-supplied input before executing it • Use prepared statements with parameterized queries when executing SQL statements
{
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-89"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-04-23T14:12:02Z",
"nvd_published_at": "2026-05-04T18:16:30Z",
"severity": "CRITICAL"
}