Security Resilience

CVE-2023-25558

RCE in Datahub Project Datahub ≤ 0.9.5

Published
11 February 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.010 63th percentile
Risk Priority 63 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-25558 is a high-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502) vulnerability in Datahub Project Datahub. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Junk Data (T1001.001); ranked in the top 37% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

DataHub, an open-source metadata platform, contains a deserialization flaw in its frontend when SSO authentication is enabled via the pac4j library. The library processes id_token claims without sufficient validation; any claim whose value begins with the {#sb64} prefix is treated as a serialized Java object and deserialized. Although a RestrictedObjectInputStream restricts the allowed classes, the permitted packages remain broad enough to permit gadget chains that can result in remote code execution. The issue is tracked as CWE-502 and was assigned a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5.

An attacker with a low-privileged account on an affected DataHub instance can supply a crafted id_token containing a malicious serialized payload during SSO login. Successful exploitation grants arbitrary code execution on the frontend server, potentially allowing full compromise of the metadata platform. The attack requires network access and involves high complexity due to the need to identify a usable gadget chain within the restricted class set.

The project’s security advisory and associated patches direct users to upgrade to a fixed release; the remediation commit is available in the DataHub repository. No workarounds are documented. The EPSS score reached a peak of 0.0796 before receding to its current value of 0.0423, indicating modest post-disclosure interest that has since declined.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

DataHub is an open-source metadata platform. When the DataHub frontend is configured to authenticate via SSO, it will leverage the pac4j library. The processing of the `id_token` is done in an unsafe manner which is not properly accounted for by…

more

the DataHub frontend. Specifically, if any of the id_token claims value start with the {#sb64} prefix, pac4j considers the value to be a serialized Java object and will deserialize it. This issue may lead to Remote Code Execution (RCE) in the worst case. Although a `RestrictedObjectInputStream` is in place, that puts some restriction on what classes can be deserialized, it still allows a broad range of java packages and potentially exploitable with different gadget chains. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds. This vulnerability was discovered and reported by the GitHub Security lab and is tracked as GHSL-2022-086.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1001.001 Junk Data Command And Control
Adversaries may add junk data to protocols used for command and control to make detection more difficult.
T1001.003 Protocol or Service Impersonation Command And Control
Adversaries may impersonate legitimate protocols or web service traffic to disguise command and control activity and thwart analysis efforts.
T1003.001 LSASS Memory Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access credential material stored in the process memory of the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS).
T1003.007 Proc Filesystem Credential Access
Adversaries may gather credentials from the proc filesystem or `/proc`.
T1005 Data from Local System Collection
Adversaries may search local system sources, such as file systems, configuration files, local databases, virtual machine files, or process memory, to find files of interest and sensitive data prior to Exfiltration.
T1006 Direct Volume Access Stealth
Adversaries may directly access a volume to bypass file access controls and file system monitoring.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-22409Same product: Datahub Project Datahub
CVE-2023-47628Same product: Datahub Project Datahub
CVE-2023-47640Same product: Datahub Project Datahub
CVE-2023-47629Same product: Datahub Project Datahub
CVE-2026-93872Shared CWE-502
CVE-2023-35317Shared CWE-502
CVE-2024-32603Shared CWE-502
CVE-2026-22333Shared CWE-502
CVE-2025-62368Shared CWE-502
CVE-2026-17637Shared CWE-502

Affected Assets

datahub project
datahub
≤ 0.9.5

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-502

Penetration testing supplies malicious serialized objects, detecting unsafe deserialization and supporting corrective actions.

addresses: CWE-502

Evaluation of untrusted data handling (deserialization testing) reveals unsafe processing, which the required remediation process addresses.

addresses: CWE-502

Untrusted serialized data can be deserialized and observed inside the chamber, blocking gadget-chain exploitation outside the sandbox.

addresses: CWE-502

Validates or rejects untrusted serialized data before deserialization occurs.

addresses: CWE-502

Identifies and blocks malicious code introduced through deserialization of untrusted data at system boundaries.

addresses: CWE-502

Integrity verification of serialized information can detect tampering before deserialization occurs.

addresses: CWE-502

Provenance of associated data allows detection of untrusted sources before deserialization or processing occurs.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-02 none match
blocks

PR.PS-02 addresses only post-deployment updates/patching and cannot prevent introduction of unsafe deserialization code, yet it can remediate some instances when the flaw exists in outdated libraries or components.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

removes
removes
removes
removes
removes

References