CVE-2025-26511

Remediation/Mitigation Strategy for CVE-2025-26511

This document outlines the remediation and mitigation strategy for the vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-26511, affecting the Instaclustr fork of Stratio’s Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin.

1. Vulnerability Description:

  • Vulnerability: CVE-2025-26511 is a privilege escalation vulnerability present in the Instaclustr fork of Stratio’s Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin when used with Apache Cassandra 4.x. Specifically, authenticated Cassandra users can bypass Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and escalate their privileges.

  • Affected Versions:

    • Instaclustr fork of Stratio’s Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin versions:
      • 4.0-rc1-1.0.0 through 4.0.16-1.0.0
      • 4.1.2-1.0.0 through 4.1.8-1.0.0
    • Used with Apache Cassandra version 4.x

  • Root Cause (Based on vulnerability description, requires analysis to confirm): The precise root cause requires detailed analysis, but based on the description, it likely stems from improper RBAC enforcement within the Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin. The plugin might not be correctly validating user permissions before allowing specific operations, allowing users with limited privileges to perform actions they should not be authorized to do.

2. Severity:

  • CVSS Score: 8.8 (High)
  • CVSS Vector: The vector is not provided but with the high score, it is likely a network exploitable vulnerability.
  • Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows an authenticated Cassandra user to escalate their privileges. This could allow the attacker to:
    • Read sensitive data within the Cassandra database.
    • Modify data, potentially corrupting the database or injecting malicious content.
    • Delete data, causing data loss and service disruption.
    • Potentially gain complete control of the Cassandra cluster depending on the escalated privileges obtained.

3. Known Exploits:

  • The provided information indicates the status is “Awaiting Analysis.” As such, publicly available exploit code or detailed exploitation techniques are currently unknown. However, the high severity score and the potential impact indicate that exploitation is likely feasible. Act quickly when a vendor fix is provided.

4. Remediation/Mitigation Strategy:

A. Immediate Actions:

  1. Identification: Identify all Cassandra clusters using the Instaclustr fork of the Stratio’s Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin within the affected version ranges.
  2. Monitoring: Increase monitoring and auditing of Cassandra clusters that are using the affected plugin. Specifically, monitor for:
    • Unexpected privilege escalations.
    • Unauthorized data access or modification attempts.
    • Unusual or suspicious queries.
  3. Network Segmentation (if feasible): If possible, segment the Cassandra cluster’s network to limit the impact of a potential breach. Restrict access to the cluster to only authorized users and applications.
  4. Vendor Notification: Reach out to both Instaclustr and NetApp support to report the vulnerability and request detailed analysis and patching information. Inquire about timelines for a patch release.

B. Long-Term Actions (after a patch becomes available):

  1. Patching: The primary remediation step is to apply the official patch released by Instaclustr (or potentially Stratio depending on which entity provides the fix). Follow the vendor’s instructions carefully to ensure proper patching.
  2. Testing: Before applying the patch to a production environment, thoroughly test the patch in a non-production environment. Verify that the patch resolves the vulnerability and does not introduce any new issues or regressions.
  3. Deployment: Deploy the patch to the production environment following a well-defined and documented change management process.
  4. Verification: After applying the patch, verify that the vulnerability is no longer exploitable. This may involve using penetration testing tools or manually attempting to exploit the vulnerability.
  5. Review RBAC Configuration: Once the patch is applied, review and harden the Cassandra RBAC configuration. Ensure that users have only the minimum necessary privileges required to perform their tasks.
  6. Update Plugin Dependencies (after patching): Check for any updates to other Cassandra plugins or dependencies, particularly those related to security, and apply them as necessary.

C. Temporary Mitigation (If Patch is Not Immediately Available):

These are imperfect and potentially disruptive. Only use if a patch is significantly delayed and the risk is high.

  1. Disable Plugin (Potentially Disruptive): If feasible and acceptable, temporarily disable the Stratio’s Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin. This will remove the vulnerability but will also disable the Lucene indexing functionality. Ensure you understand the impact of disabling the plugin before taking this action. Follow the vendor’s instructions to properly disable the plugin without causing database corruption.
  2. Restrict Access (Potentially Inconvenient): Restrict access to the affected functionality within the Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin. This may involve modifying the plugin’s configuration or using external firewalls to block access to certain endpoints. This approach requires a deep understanding of the plugin’s architecture and may not be fully effective.
  3. Implement Enhanced Auditing: Implement detailed auditing to detect and respond to suspicious activity. Enable detailed Cassandra audit logging and configure alerts for unusual events. This will not prevent exploitation but will improve detection and incident response capabilities.

5. Communication:

  • Communicate this vulnerability and the planned remediation strategy to all relevant stakeholders, including IT staff, database administrators, security personnel, and management.
  • Keep stakeholders informed of the progress of the remediation efforts and any updates to the mitigation strategy.

6. Ongoing Monitoring:

  • Continuously monitor the Cassandra cluster for any signs of compromise or unusual activity.
  • Stay informed of any new information or updates regarding CVE-2025-26511 and adjust the remediation strategy as necessary.
  • Periodically review and update the security policies and procedures for the Cassandra cluster.

Important Considerations:

  • This remediation strategy is based on the limited information provided in the security alert. A complete and accurate assessment of the vulnerability requires further analysis and investigation.
  • The specific steps required to remediate the vulnerability will depend on the specific configuration of the Cassandra cluster and the Instaclustr fork of the Stratio’s Cassandra-Lucene-Index plugin.
  • Consult with Instaclustr and NetApp support for specific guidance and recommendations.
  • Prioritize patching as soon as a fix is available from the vendor.

This document will be updated as more information becomes available.

Assigner

Date

  • Published Date: 2025-02-13 15:44:06
  • Updated Date: 2025-02-14 00:15:08

More Details

CVE-2025-26511