CVE-2026-42208: LiteLLM SQL Injection — Detection and Remediation Guide

---
title: Potential SQL Injection via LiteLLM API
id: 8a2b1c9d-4e5f-6a7b-8c9d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects potential SQL injection attempts targeting LiteLLM API endpoints by identifying common SQLi syntax in URI query strings or body parameters.
references:
  - https://thehackernews.com/2026/04/litellm-cve-2026-42208-sql-injection.html
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/04/06
tags:
  - attack.initial_access
  - attack.t1190
  - cve.2026.42208
logsource:
  category: web
  product: lite_llm
detection:
  selection_uri:
    cs-uri-query|contains:
      - "' OR"
      - "' "
      - "'1'='1"
      - "UNION SELECT"
      - "-- "
      - "/*"
      - "WAITFOR DELAY"
      - "SLEEP("
  selection_body:
    cs-body|contains:
      - "' OR"
      - "UNION SELECT"
      - "'1'='1"
  condition: 1 of selection_
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate traffic containing unusual strings (rare)
level: high
---
title: LiteLLM Process Spawning Database Shell
id: 9b3c2d0e-5f6a-7b8c-9d0e-1f2a3b4c5d6e
status: experimental
description: Detects the LiteLLM Python process spawning unexpected shell or database binary processes, which may indicate exploitation via SQLi leading to RCE.
references:
  - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/04/06
tags:
  - attack.execution
  - attack.t1059
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: linux
detection:
  selection_parent:
    ParentImage|endswith: '/python'
    ParentCommandLine|contains: 'litellm'
  selection_child:
    Image|endswith:
      - '/bash'
      - '/sh'
      - '/sqlite3'
      - '/psql'
  condition: all of selection_
falsepositives:
  - Administrative debugging (rare)
level: critical

// Hunt for SQL injection signatures in Web Proxy or WAF logs
// Adjust table names based on your ingestion schema (CommonSecurityLog, Syslog, etc.)
let SqlKeywords = dynamic(["' OR", "UNION SELECT", "WAITFOR DELAY", "SLEEP(", "'1'='1", "--", "/*"]);
CommonSecurityLog
| where DeviceVendor in ("LiteLLM", "Generic") or FileProtocol in ("http", "https")
| where isnotempty(RequestURL) or isnotempty(AdditionalExtensions)
| extend URL = coalesce(RequestURL, column_ifexists("url", ""))
| extend Body = column_ifexists("RequestBody", "")
| where URL has_any(SqlKeywords) or Body has_any(SqlKeywords)
| summarize count(), min(TimeGenerated), max(TimeGenerated) by SourceIP, DestinationIP, URL, Body
| sort by count_ desc

// Hunt for LiteLLM processes and check for child shell processes
SELECT 
  Pid, 
  Name, 
  CommandLine, 
  Parent.Pid AS ParentPid,
  Parent.Name AS ParentName,
  Parent.CommandLine AS ParentCommandLine
FROM pslist()
WHERE Name =~ 'litellm'
  OR (Parent.Name =~ 'python' AND Parent.CommandLine =~ 'litellm' AND Name IN ('bash', 'sh', 'sqlite3', 'psql'))

#!/bin/bash
# Remediation Script for CVE-2026-42208
# Checks for LiteLLM installation and upgrades to the patched version

PYTHON_CMD=$(command -v python3 || command -v python)

if [ -z "$PYTHON_CMD" ]; then
    echo "Error: Python not found."
    exit 1
fi

# Check if litellm is installed
INSTALLED_VERSION=$($PYTHON_CMD -m pip show litellm 2>/dev/null | grep Version | awk '{print $2}')

if [ -z "$INSTALLED_VERSION" ]; then
    echo "LiteLLM is not installed on this system."
    exit 0
fi

echo "Detected LiteLLM version: $INSTALLED_VERSION"

echo "Applying remediation: Upgrading LiteLLM to the latest safe version..."
$PYTHON_CMD -m pip install --upgrade litellm

VERIFY_VERSION=$($PYTHON_CMD -m pip show litellm 2>/dev/null | grep Version | awk '{print $2}')
echo "Upgraded to version: $VERIFY_VERSION"

echo "Restarting LiteLLM services..."
# Note: Adjust service name based on your specific deployment (systemd, docker, supervisord)
sudo systemctl restart litellm 2>/dev/null || echo "Please restart your LiteLLM container/process manually."

echo "Remediation complete. Please review logs for signs of prior exploitation."