Apache Cassandra: User with MODIFY permission on ALL KEYSPACES can escalate privileges to superuser via unsafe actions
Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions vulnerability in Apache Cassandra. An user with MODIFY permission ON ALL KEYSPACES can escalate privileges to superuser within a targeted Cassandra cluster via unsafe actions to a system resource. Operators granting data MODIFY permission on all keyspaces on affected versions should review data access rules for potential breaches.
This issue affects Apache Cassandra through 3.0.30, 3.11.17, 4.0.15, 4.1.7, 5.0.2.
Users are recommended to upgrade to versions 3.0.31, 3.11.18, 4.0.16, 4.1.8, 5.0.3, which fixes the issue.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | >= 5.0-alpha1, < 5.0.3, >= 4.1-alpha1, < 4.1.8, >= 4.0-alpha1, < 4.0.16, >= 3.1, < 3.11.18, < 3.0.31 | 5.0.3, 4.1.8, 4.0.16, 3.11.18, 3.0.31 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-23015
- https://github.com/apache/cassandra/commit/6207a305ba2b0cebc3241e00a843ab5dbf86d2ed
- https://github.com/apache/cassandra/commit/f33267c8fae6d71166886efc3e7ddda4114ebeef
- https://github.com/apache/cassandra
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/jmks4msbgkl65ssg69x728sv1m0hwz3s
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250214-0006
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/02/03/2
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/02/11/1
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-267- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all- Disclosed
- 04.02.2025
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:21
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-wmcc-9vch-jmx4 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 12
- First → latest
- 05.2021 04.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 2
- High 5
- Medium 4
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2021: 1
- 2022: 3
- 2023: 1
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 4
- 2026: 3
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Apache Cassandra: User with MODIFY permission on ALL KEYSPACES can escalate privileges to superuser via unsafe actions this entry
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