Security researchers have uncovered a severe vulnerability in Apache Parquet, a widely-adopted columnar storage format, affecting all versions up to 1.15.0. The vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-30065, has received the highest possible CVSS score of 10.0, indicating an urgent security risk that requires immediate attention from organizations utilizing this data format.
Understanding the Technical Impact
The critical flaw resides in the parquet-avro module’s data deserialization process, enabling remote code execution (RCE) through specially crafted Parquet files. This vulnerability is particularly concerning given Apache Parquet’s extensive adoption in modern big data architectures and cloud-native applications. When exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, potentially compromising entire data processing pipelines.
Enterprise Systems at Risk
The vulnerability’s impact extends across major cloud platforms and enterprise environments, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. Notable organizations potentially affected include industry leaders such as Netflix, Uber, Airbnb, and LinkedIn. Any system processing Parquet files, from data lakes to analytics platforms, could be susceptible to exploitation if running vulnerable versions.
Attack Vectors and Security Implications
Successful exploitation requires an attacker to introduce a maliciously crafted Parquet file into the target system’s data processing workflow. Once achieved, attackers can:
– Execute arbitrary commands with system-level privileges
– Exfiltrate sensitive data from compromised systems
– Disrupt critical data processing operations
– Deploy additional malicious payloads, including ransomware
Mitigation Strategies and Security Recommendations
Organizations must take immediate action to protect their systems. Essential security measures include:
– Immediate upgrade to Apache Parquet version 1.15.1 or later
– Implementation of strict input validation for Parquet files
– Development of comprehensive file integrity checking mechanisms
– Audit of all systems and applications utilizing Apache Parquet
The discovery of this vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining robust security practices in big data environments. Organizations must prioritize regular security updates and implement comprehensive vulnerability management programs to protect their data processing infrastructure. Security teams should establish continuous monitoring systems and maintain incident response plans specifically tailored to address threats in big data environments.
