Man-in-the-middle attack in Apache CassandraGHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43
MEDIUMGHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) CWE-668 vulnerability in org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all. A fix is available for org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,386 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all☕org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all☕org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all☕org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all☕org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-allReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
In Apache Cassandra, all versions prior to 2.1.22, 2.2.18, 3.0.22, 3.11.8 and 4.0-beta2, it is possible for a local attacker without access to the Apache Cassandra process or configuration files to manipulate the RMI registry to perform a man-in-the-middle attack and capture user names and passwords used to access the JMX interface. The attacker can then use these credentials to access the JMX interface and perform unauthorised operations. Users should also be aware of CVE-2019-2684, a JRE vulnerability that enables this issue to be exploited remotely.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 2.1.0&&< 2.1.12 | 2.1.12org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all:2.1.12 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.18 | 2.2.18org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all:2.2.18 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.0.22 | 3.0.22org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all:3.0.22 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 3.11.0&&< 3.11.8 | 3.11.8org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all:3.11.8 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 4.0-beta1&&< 4.0-beta2 | 4.0-beta2org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all:4.0-beta2 |
Affected Products
cassandraapacheoncommand insightnetappDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all to 2.1.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.