Apache Jena Vulnerability Allows Arbitrary File Access

Critical security vulnerabilities in Apache Jena have been disclosed that enable administrators to access and create files outside designated server directories, potentially compromising system security.

Two distinct CVEs were published on July 21, 2025, affecting all versions of Apache Jena through 5.4.0, with administrators urged to upgrade to version 5.5.0 immediately to mitigate these risks.

Critical Security Flaws Identified

Apache Jena, the popular open-source semantic web framework, has been found vulnerable to two significant security flaws that could allow malicious administrative users to bypass directory restrictions.

Both vulnerabilities exploit weaknesses in the Fuseki server’s file handling mechanisms, enabling unauthorized access to system files beyond the intended scope of the application.

The first vulnerability, designated CVE-2025-49656, allows users with administrator access to create database files outside the designated files area of the Fuseki server through the administrative user interface.

This flaw essentially breaks the sandbox protection that should contain database operations within specific directory boundaries, potentially allowing attackers to write files to sensitive system locations.

The second vulnerability, CVE-2025-50151, involves improper validation of file access paths in configuration files uploaded by administrative users.

The system fails to adequately check the paths specified in these configuration files, enabling administrators to reference and potentially access files located anywhere on the host system, not just within the intended application directories.

Both vulnerabilities were reported and disclosed by security researchers, with CVE-2025-49656 credited to Noriaki Iwasaki from Cyber Defense Institute, Inc.

The Apache Software Foundation’s Andy Seaborne coordinated the disclosure and patch release process.

While these vulnerabilities require administrative access to exploit, they represent serious security concerns for organizations running Apache Jena in multi-user environments or where administrative privileges might be compromised.

The ability to create or access files outside intended directories could lead to data exfiltration, system compromise, or denial of service attacks.

Organizations using Apache Jena are strongly advised to upgrade to version 5.5.0 immediately.

The new version addresses both vulnerabilities by implementing proper path validation for configuration files and restricting file creation operations to designated directories within the Fuseki server environment.

For systems where immediate upgrading is not feasible, administrators should carefully review and restrict access to administrative functions, monitor file system activity around Jena installations, and implement additional access controls to limit potential exploitation vectors until patches can be applied.

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