Introduction
A newly disclosed critical vulnerability in the Apache Parquet Java Library has raised significant cybersecurity concerns. The flaw, which impacts data analytics systems and pipelines, could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. With a perfect CVSS score of 10.0, this issue underscores the importance of securing open-source software components used across modern data infrastructure.
Understanding Apache Parquet and the Nature of the Threat
Apache Parquet is an open-source, columnar data storage format widely adopted for high-performance data processing. Introduced in 2013, it supports complex data structures and integrates advanced compression and encoding techniques, making it a staple in big data and analytics environments.
The identified vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-30065, affects versions up to and including 1.15.0 of the Java implementation. The flaw resides in the parquet-avro module, where improper handling during schema parsing allows for the execution of arbitrary code.
Exploitation Potential and Risk Assessment
According to an advisory from the Apache Parquet project, an attacker could exploit this flaw by manipulating a system into processing a maliciously crafted Parquet file. Security research firm Endor Labs emphasized that data ingestion pipelines handling external or unverified Parquet files are especially susceptible.
“This vulnerability poses a significant risk to analytics platforms that rely on external data sources,” Endor Labs stated. “Should an attacker inject a tampered file, it could lead to full system compromise through remote code execution.”
The issue has been resolved in version 1.15.1, and users are urged to update immediately to mitigate potential threats. The vulnerability was discovered and responsibly reported by Keyi Li of Amazon.
Wider Security Landscape and Apache Ecosystem Concerns
While there is currently no indication that this Parquet vulnerability has been exploited in the wild, similar security flaws in Apache projects have historically drawn swift attention from malicious actors.
For instance, a critical vulnerability in Apache Tomcat (CVE-2025-24813) was actively exploited within just 30 hours of its disclosure. Cloud security firm Aqua recently reported an attack campaign leveraging weak credentials to breach Apache Tomcat servers. These attacks deployed encrypted malware payloads aimed at stealing SSH credentials, establishing persistence, and hijacking system resources for unauthorized cryptocurrency mining.
Aqua’s analysis also highlighted that the malware had capabilities for executing arbitrary Java code via a web shell and optimizing CPU usage if root access was detected — all actions consistent with financially motivated threat campaigns. Indicators such as Chinese-language comments in the code suggest the involvement of a Chinese-speaking threat group.
Conclusion
The discovery of CVE-2025-30065 in Apache Parquet’s Java library illustrates the ongoing challenge of securing data infrastructure against supply chain threats and remote code execution flaws. Organizations using Apache Parquet are strongly advised to upgrade to version 1.15.1 and scrutinize the sources of their Parquet files, especially in environments that ingest third-party data.
As open-source components continue to serve as the backbone of data analytics ecosystems, timely vulnerability management and proactive monitoring are essential for safeguarding critical systems from exploitation.
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