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CVE-2025-50151: Critical File Access Path Vulnerability in Apache Jena

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Overview

A critical vulnerability has been discovered in Apache Jena, a free and open-source Java framework for building Semantic Web and Linked Data applications, that can potentially lead to system compromise and data leakage. Identified as CVE-2025-50151, this vulnerability has a CVSS severity score of 8.8, which is considered high. The flaw lies in the lack of validation for file access paths in configuration files uploaded by administrators. This oversight can have serious implications for the confidentiality and integrity of data, as well as system availability, and therefore matters to all users of Apache Jena up to version 5.4.0.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-50151
Severity: High (8.8 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: High (Administrator access)
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise, data leakage

Affected Products

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Product | Affected Versions

Apache Jena | Up to 5.4.0

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability arises from the lack of validation of file access paths in configuration files uploaded by users with administrative access. This means that an attacker with such access can upload a configuration file with a malicious file access path. When this configuration file is used by the system, the application ends up reading or writing data to an unintended and potentially insecure location, leading to data leakage or system compromise.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited using a maliciously crafted configuration file:

POST /admin/upload_config HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable.apachejena.com
Content-Type: application/xml
<Configuration>
<FileAccessPath>../../../etc/passwd</FileAccessPath>
...
</Configuration>

In the above example, the file access path points to a system file (`/etc/passwd`), which is outside the intended directory. When this configuration is used, it could potentially read or write to this system file, leading to a security breach.

Mitigation

Apache Jena users are advised to upgrade to version 5.5.0, which includes a fix for this vulnerability. In this version, arbitrary configuration upload is not allowed, thereby preventing this issue. If upgrading is not immediately possible, users can apply vendor patches or use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

Ameeba and its authors do not endorse or condone malicious behavior and are not responsible for misuse of the content. Always follow ethical hacking guidelines, responsible disclosure practices, and local laws.

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