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Medium

Man-in-the-middle attack in Apache Cassandra

  • Disclosed: 07.05.2021
  • Updated: 11.10.2026 13:19

In Apache Cassandra, all versions prior to 2.1.22, 2.2.18, 3.0.22, 3.11.8 and 4.0-beta2, it is possible for a local attacker without access to the Apache Cassandra process or configuration files to manipulate the RMI registry to perform a man-in-the-middle attack and capture user names and passwords used to access the JMX interface. The attacker can then use these credentials to access the JMX interface and perform unauthorised operations. Users should also be aware of CVE-2019-2684, a JRE vulnerability that enables this issue to be exploited remotely.

Affected software

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PlatformPackageVulnerable versionsFixed in
Java / Kotlin (Maven) org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.12, >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.18, >= 3.0.0, < 3.0.22, >= 3.11.0, < 3.11.8, >= 4.0-beta1, < 4.0-beta2 2.1.12, 2.2.18, 3.0.22, 3.11.8, 4.0-beta2

References

CVSS score 5.9/10
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-668
Platform
Java / Kotlin (Maven)
Package
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all
Disclosed
07.05.2021
Updated
11.10.2026 13:19

Sources and licenses

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43 - CC BY 4.0

Vulnerability history: org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all

All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.

All (12) in the archive
Total entries
12
First → latest
05.2021 04.2026
Without a fix
0
Exploited in attacks
0

Severity breakdown

  • Critical 2
  • High 5
  • Medium 4
  • Low 1

Disclosures per year

Severity:
  1. Apache Cassandra is vulnerable to privilege escalation in an mTLS environment using MutualTlsAuthenticator
    High · 8.8 CVE-2026-27314 >= 5.0-alpha1, < 5.0.7 5.0.7
  2. Apache Cassandra: User with MODIFY permission on ALL KEYSPACES can escalate privileges to superuser via unsafe actions (4.0.16 only)
    High · 8.8 CVE-2025-26467 >= 4.0.16, < 4.0.17 4.0.17
  3. Apache Cassandra: User with MODIFY permission on ALL KEYSPACES can escalate privileges to superuser via unsafe actions
    High · 8.8 CVE-2025-23015 >= 5.0-alpha1, < 5.0.3, >= 4.1-alpha1, < 4.1.8, >= 4.0-alpha1, < 4.0.16, >= 3.1, < 3.11.18, < 3.0.31 5.0.3, 4.1.8, 4.0.16, 3.11.18, 3.0.31
  4. Apache Cassandra: Privilege escalation when enabling FQL/Audit logs
    High · 7.8 CVE-2023-30601 >= 4.1.0, < 4.1.2, >= 4.0.0, < 4.0.10 4.1.2, 4.0.10
  5. Missing Authentication for Critical Function in Apache Cassandra
    Critical · 9.8 CVE-2018-8016 >= 3.8, < 3.11.2 3.11.2
  6. Apache Cassandra vulnerable to Code Injection due to unsafe configuration
    Critical · 9.1 CVE-2021-44521 < 3.0.26, >= 3.11.0, < 3.11.12, >= 4.0.0, < 4.0.2 3.0.26, 3.11.12, 4.0.2
  7. Authentication Bypass in Apache Cassandra
    High · 7.5 CVE-2020-17516 >= 2.1.0, < 3.0.24, >= 3.11.0, < 3.11.10 3.0.24, 3.11.10
  8. Man-in-the-middle attack in Apache Cassandra this entry
    Medium · 5.9 CVE-2020-13946 >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.12, >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.18, >= 3.0.0, < 3.0.22, >= 3.11.0, < 3.11.8, >= 4.0-beta1, < 4.0-beta2 2.1.12, 2.2.18, 3.0.22, 3.11.8, 4.0-beta2

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