Apache Syncope allows malicious administrators to inject Groovy code

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

7.2 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2025-57738: 23.18% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 97.77 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Apache Syncope offers the ability to extend / customize the base behavior on every deployment by allowing to provide custom implementations of a few Java interfaces; such implementations can be provided either as Java or Groovy classes, with the latter being particularly attractive as the machinery is set for runtime reload. Such a feature has been available for a while, but recently it was discovered that a malicious administrator can inject Groovy code that can be executed remotely by a running Apache Syncope Core instance. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.0.14 / 4.0.2, which fix this issue by forcing the Groovy code to run in a sandbox.

Published by the source

20 Oct 2025, 15:30 UTC

Last modified by the source

5 Nov 2025, 20:49 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:40 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-825g-mm5v-ggq4

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2025-57738

Advisory: Apache Syncope allows malicious administrators to inject Groovy code
IDs: CVE-2025-57738, GHSA-825g-mm5v-ggq4
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2025-57738 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:40 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.2)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.apache.syncope.core:syncope-core-spring 4.0.2, 3.0.14. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.apache.syncope.core:syncope-core-spring: affected < 3.0.14; >= 4.0.0-M0, < 4.0.2; fixed in 4.0.2, 3.0.14

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.apache.syncope.core:syncope-core-spring: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on org.apache.syncope.core:syncope-core-spring.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-825g-mm5v-ggq4 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-825g-mm5v-ggq4 lists affected ranges: Maven org.apache.syncope.core:syncope-core-spring >=0 =4.0.0-M0 <4.0.2)

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