Apache Cassandra Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in Version 4.0.16

A vulnerability allowing privilege escalation to superuser has been identified in Apache Cassandra version 4.0.16. This issue arises from a Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions vulnerability, where a user with MODIFY permission on all keyspaces can exploit unsafe actions to a system resource, leading to unauthorized access rights within the targeted Cassandra cluster. While this vulnerability also affects Apache Cassandra versions 3.0.30, 3.11.17, 4.1.7, and 5.0.2, this advisory specifically addresses version 4.0.16, which remains vulnerable due to an incorrect application of the CVE-2025-23015 fix. Operators granting data MODIFY permission on all keyspaces should review data access rules for potential breaches.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows users to escalate privileges to superuser within the affected Cassandra cluster.

Remediation

Users in the 4.0 series are advised to upgrade to version 4.0.17, which addresses this vulnerability. Users on the 3.0, 3.11, 4.1, and 5.0 series should follow the recommendations provided in CVE-2025-23015.