GHSA-mrqp-q7vx-v2cx is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) vulnerability in com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin. A fix is available for com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Instaclustr Cassandra-Lucene-Index allows bypass of Cassandra RBAC
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-mrqp-q7vx-v2cx.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-mrqp-q7vx-v2cx plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin☕com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-pluginReal-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
Summary / Details Systems running the Instaclustr fork of Stratio's Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin versions 4.0-rc1-1.0.0 through 4.0.16-1.0.0 and 4.1.0-1.0.0 through 4.1.8-1.0.0, installed into Apache Cassandra version 4.x, are susceptible to a vulnerability which when successfully exploited could allow authenticated Cassandra users to remotely bypass RBAC to access data and and escalate their privileges.
Affected Versions
- Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin versions 4.0-rc1-1.0.0 through 4.0.16-1.0.0
- versions 4.1.0-1.0.0 through 4.1.8-1.0.0 when installed into Apache Cassandra version 4.x.
Required Configuration for Exploit These are the conditions required to enable exploit:
- Cassandra 4.x
- Vulnerable version of the Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin configured for use
- Data added to tables
- Lucene index created
- Cassandra flush has run
Mitigation/Prevention Mitigation requires dropping all Lucene indexes and stopping use of the plugin. Exploit will be possible any time the required conditions are met.
Solution
Upgrade to a fixed version of the Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin.
Review users in Cassandra to validate all superuser privileges.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin | ≥ 4.0-rc1-1.0.0&&< 4.0.17-1.0.0 | 4.0.17-1.0.0com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin:4.0.17-1.0.0 |
| ☕Maven | com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin | ≥ 4.1.0-1.0.0&&< 4.1.8-1.0.1 | 4.1.8-1.0.1com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin:4.1.8-1.0.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update com.instaclustr:cassandra-lucene-index-plugin to 4.0.17-1.0.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-mrqp-q7vx-v2cx 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-mrqp-q7vx-v2cx can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-mrqp-q7vx-v2cx. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-mrqp-q7vx-v2cx in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-mrqp-q7vx-v2cx across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.