Apache Parquet Java Vulnerability Exposes Systems to Arbitrary Code Execution

A critical security vulnerability (CVE-2025-46762) has been disclosed in Apache Parquet Java, exposing systems to remote code execution (RCE) risks through malicious Avro schemas embedded in Parquet files.

The flaw impacts the widely used parquet-avro module in versions up to 1.15.1, threatening data pipelines relying on this columnar storage format.

Technical Analysis

According to the report, the vulnerability stems from insecure deserialization during Avro schema parsing when using the specific or reflect data models.

Attackers can craft Parquet files containing schemas that trigger execution of arbitrary Java classes from trusted packages during metadata processing.

While Apache Parquet 1.15.1 introduced package restrictions, its default allowlist (org.apache.parquet.avro.SERIALIZABLE_PACKAGES) remained permissive enough for exploitation.

Exploitation prerequisites:

• Use of parquet-avro with specific/reflect models (generic model unaffected)
• Processing of untrusted Parquet files
• Library version ≤1.15.1

java// Vulnerable configuration example (pre-1.15.2)
AvroParquetReader.Builder<GenericRecord> builder = AvroParquetReader
    .builder(inputFile)
    .withDataModel(DataModel.Reflect); // Vulnerable model

Impact Assessment

Apache Parquet’s integration with big data frameworks like Spark and Flink makes this a high-severity issue for:

• Data lakes processing external datasets
• ETL pipelines accepting user-uploaded files
• Analytics platforms using reflective serialization

Successful exploitation could enable:

• Lateral movement within the data infrastructure
• Credential theft via environment access
• Data exfiltration/modification

Mitigation Strategies

The Apache Software Foundation recommends two solutions:

1. Upgrade to v1.15.2
   Includes hardened defaults for trusted packages
2. Manual configuration for v1.15.1
   Set the system property: bash-Dorg.apache.parquet.avro.SERIALIZABLE_PACKAGES=""

Operational safeguards:

• Audit Parquet file sources and processing workflows
• Restrict use of specific/reflect models to trusted data
• Implement schema validation filters for incoming files

Industry Response

Security researchers emphasize that this vulnerability highlights persistent risks in data serialization architectures.

“This CVE shows how seemingly narrow API choices in data processing libraries can create systemic security risks,” noted David Handermann, one of the vulnerability reporters.

As of May 2025, there are no confirmed exploitations in the wild, but the disclosure has prompted urgent patching efforts across cloud providers and data platform vendors.

Users are advised to complete mitigations before May 15, 2025, when proof-of-concept exploit code is expected to become publicly available.

This incident underscores the critical need for defense-in-depth strategies in data processing systems, including regular dependency updates and strict input validation for complex file formats.

Organizations using Apache Parquet should prioritize vulnerability scanning of their data infrastructure and review deserialization practices across all big data components.

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