CVE-2025-24860: Apache Cassandra CassandraNetworkAuthorizer And CassandraCIDRAuthorizer Can Be Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3cjf-fwcq-xh22
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-24860 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cassandranetworkauthorizer and cassandracidrauthorizer can be vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Apache Cassandra libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cassandranetworkauthorizer and cassandracidrauthorizer can be bypassed allowing access to different network regions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.16, 4.1.8, 5.0.3.

CVE-2025-24860 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-24860
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3cjf-fwcq-xh22
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Apache Cassandra
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2025-24860

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Apache Cassandra dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all fixed: 4.0.16 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.cassandra</groupId>
    <artifactId>cassandra-all</artifactId>
    <version>4.0.16</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all fixed: 4.1.8 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.cassandra</groupId>
    <artifactId>cassandra-all</artifactId>
    <version>4.1.8</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all fixed: 5.0.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.cassandra</groupId>
    <artifactId>cassandra-all</artifactId>
    <version>5.0.3</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cassandra

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2025-24860, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cassandra

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apache Cassandra in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.0.16), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cassandra command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. In Apache Cassandra, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Apache Cassandra allowing users to access a datacenter or IP/CIDR groups they should not be able to when using CassandraNetworkAuthorizer or CassandraCIDRAuthorizer. Users with restricted data center access can update their own permissions via data control language (DCL) statements on affected versions. This issue affects Apache Cassandra: from 4.0.0 through 4.0.15 and from 4.1.0 through 4.1.7 for CassandraNetworkAuthorizer, and from 5.0.0 through 5.0.2 for both CassandraNetworkAuthorizer and CassandraCIDRAuthorizer. Operators using CassandraNetworkAuthorizer or CassandraCIDRAuthorizer on affected versions should review data access rules for potential breaches. Users are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.0.16, 4.1.8, 5.0.3, which fixes the issue.

CVE-2025-24860 Affected Apache Cassandra Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0.164.1.85.0.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all
maven/org.apache.cassandra/cassandra-all
Maven
≥ 4.0-alpha1
< 4.0.16
4.0.16
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all
maven/org.apache.cassandra/cassandra-all
Maven
≥ 4.1-alpha1
< 4.1.8
4.1.8
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all
maven/org.apache.cassandra/cassandra-all
Maven
≥ 5.0-alpha1
< 5.0.3
5.0.3

References

NVD — CVE-2025-24860 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-24860
Apache Cassandra Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/cassandra
lists.apache.org/thread/yjo5on4tf7s1... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/yjo5on4tf7s1r9qklc4byrz30b8vkm2d
Apache Cassandra Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250214-0005
Apache Cassandra Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/02/03/3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-24860?
CVE-2025-24860 is a security vulnerability in Apache Cassandra involving CassandraNetworkAuthorizer and CassandraCIDRAuthorizer can be bypassed allowing access to different network regions under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which Apache Cassandra versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0.16, 4.1.8, 5.0.3 across affected packages: org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all.
What version fixes CVE-2025-24860?
Upgrading to 4.0.16, 4.1.8, 5.0.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is cassandra-all affected?
Yes, org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all is affected in releases prior to 4.0.16, 4.1.8, 5.0.3. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.16, 4.1.8, 5.0.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-24860?
CVE-2025-24860 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-24860?
CVE-2025-24860 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2025-24860?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cassandra'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3cjf-fwcq-xh22",
  "modified" : "2025-02-18T22:31:50Z",
  "published" : "2025-02-04T12:30:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-24860" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Cassandra: CassandraNetworkAuthorizer and CassandraCIDRAuthorizer can be bypassed allowing access to different network regions",
  "details" : "Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Apache Cassandra allowing users to access a datacenter or IP/CIDR groups they should not be able to when using CassandraNetworkAuthorizer or CassandraCIDRAuthorizer. \n\nUsers with restricted data center access can update their own permissions via data control language (DCL) statements on affected versions.\n\nThis issue affects Apache Cassandra: from 4.0.0 through 4.0.15 and from 4.1.0 through 4.1.7 for CassandraNetworkAuthorizer, and from 5.0.0 through 5.0.2 for both CassandraNetworkAuthorizer and CassandraCIDRAuthorizer.\n\nOperators using CassandraNetworkAuthorizer or CassandraCIDRAuthorizer on affected versions should review data access rules for potential breaches. Users are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.0.16, 4.1.8, 5.0.3, which fixes the issue.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0-alpha1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.16"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.1-alpha1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.1.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0-alpha1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-24860"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/cassandra"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/yjo5on4tf7s1r9qklc4byrz30b8vkm2d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250214-0005"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/02/03/3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-02-04T18:39:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-02-04T11:15:09Z"
  }
}