CVE-2020-25638 – This SQL injection vulnerability in Hibernate C... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-25638?

CVE-2020-25638 has a CVSS score of 7.4 (HIGH). This SQL injection vulnerability in Hibernate Core allows attackers to inject malicious SQL through JPA Criteria API comments, potentially accessing unauthorized data or executing further attacks. It affects applications using Hibernate Core 5.4.23.Final and earlier versions. The primary risk is to data confidentiality and integrity.

📋 TL;DR

This SQL injection vulnerability in Hibernate Core allows attackers to inject malicious SQL through JPA Criteria API comments, potentially accessing unauthorized data or executing further attacks. It affects applications using Hibernate Core 5.4.23.Final and earlier versions. The primary risk is to data confidentiality and integrity.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Hibernate Core
Applications using Hibernate ORM

Versions: Versions up to and including 5.4.23.Final

Operating Systems: All operating systems running affected Hibernate versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects applications using JPA Criteria API with literal values in SQL comments. Applications using native queries or other ORM frameworks are not affected.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full database compromise including data exfiltration, modification, or deletion, potentially leading to complete system takeover if combined with other vulnerabilities.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized data access and potential data manipulation through SQL injection, affecting application data integrity and confidentiality.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper input validation, parameterized queries, and database permissions restricting unauthorized access.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires application-specific knowledge and access to vulnerable endpoints. The vulnerability is in the JPA Criteria API implementation, making exploitation dependent on application usage patterns.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 5.4.24.Final and later

Vendor Advisory: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1881353

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Hibernate Core dependency to version 5.4.24.Final or later. 2. Update pom.xml or build.gradle with new version. 3. Rebuild and redeploy application. 4. Restart application server.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Input Validation and Sanitization

all

Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection through user inputs.

Database Permission Restrictions

all

Apply principle of least privilege to database accounts used by the application.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection rules
Enable database logging and monitoring for suspicious SQL queries

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Hibernate Core version in application dependencies. If version is 5.4.23.Final or earlier and application uses JPA Criteria API with literal comments, it is vulnerable.

Check Version:

Check build configuration files (pom.xml, build.gradle) or run: java -cp hibernate-core.jar org.hibernate.Version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify Hibernate Core version is 5.4.24.Final or later in application dependencies after update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual SQL query patterns in application logs
Database error logs showing malformed SQL
Multiple failed login attempts or unusual data access patterns

Network Indicators:

Unusual database connection patterns
Large data transfers from database server

SIEM Query:

source="application_logs" AND ("SQL error" OR "malformed query" OR "syntax error")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-25638

CVSS v3 Score: 7.4 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

CWE: CWE-89

Published: December 2, 2020

Last Updated: April 23, 2025

🔗 References

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1881353 Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r833c1276e41334fa675848a08daf0c61f39009f9f9a400d9f7006d44%40%3Cdev.turbine.apache.org%3E
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf2378209c676a28b71f9b604a3b3517c448540b85367160e558ef9df%40%3Ccommits.turbine.apache.org%3E
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/01/msg00000.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4908 Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1881353 Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r833c1276e41334fa675848a08daf0c61f39009f9f9a400d9f7006d44%40%3Cdev.turbine.apache.org%3E
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf2378209c676a28b71f9b604a3b3517c448540b85367160e558ef9df%40%3Ccommits.turbine.apache.org%3E
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/01/msg00000.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4908 Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html Patch,Third Party Advisory

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