Apache Syncope RCE via Unsandboxed Groovy Code (Pre-3.0.14 / 4.0.2)
CVE-2025-57738 Published on October 20, 2025
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.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2025-57738 is exploitable with network access, and requires user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.
Weakness Type
What is a Separation of Privilege Vulnerability?
The product does not sufficiently compartmentalize functionality or processes that require different privilege levels, rights, or permissions. When a weakness occurs in functionality that is accessible by lower-privileged users, then without strong boundaries, an attack might extend the scope of the damage to higher-privileged users.
CVE-2025-57738 has been classified to as a Separation of Privilege vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2025-57738
You can be notified by email with stack.watch whenever vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-57738 are published in Apache Syncope:
Affected Versions
Apache Software Foundation Apache Syncope:- Version 2.1, <= 2.1.14 is affected.
- Version 3.0, <= 3.0.13 is affected.
- Version 4.0, <= 4.0.1 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.