CVE-2025-57738 | Apache Syncope: Remote Code Execution by delegated administrators

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: 2025-10-20 Last update: 2025-11-04 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2025-57738 is rated Low Risk (34.4/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.05%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-57738

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-10-26 0.04% 0.05% +0.01%
2 2025-10-21 0.04%

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-57738

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.2 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.2 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-57738

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2025-57738

GHSA-825g-mm5v-ggq4 · Severity: high · Ecosystem: maven — Apache Syncope allows malicious administrators to inject Groovy code

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-57738

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
apache syncope >= 2.1.0, < 3.0.14 cpe:2.3:a:apache:syncope:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
apache syncope >= 4.0.0, < 4.0.2 cpe:2.3:a:apache:syncope:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2025-57738

cvelogic Threat Intelligence