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Apache Syncope EUVDEUVD-2026-45958

| CVE-2026-53421 CRITICAL
Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization (CWE-653)
2026-07-20 apache GHSA-c7pj-2f8j-jc8m
9.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: apache
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate to Syncope admin console
  2. Delivery
    Create or edit scripted REST/SQL connector
  3. Exploit
    Embed sandbox-escaping Groovy script
  4. Execution
    Trigger connector execution
  5. Impact
    Execute arbitrary code on host

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Component isolation
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires an authenticated administrator possessing entitlements to create or modify connectors, plus the use of a scripted connector type (REST or SQL) whose Groovy-scripting capability is invoked - this scripting capability IS the required feature. It does not work against an unauthenticated remote actor despite the NVD PR:N rating; the vendor states an administrator with adequate entitlements is needed, which is the primary limiting factor. Further limits: the target must run an affected version (3.0.0-M0-3.0.16, 4.0.0-M0-4.0.6, or 4.1.0-M0-4.1.1), and environments that withhold connector/script entitlements from operators or do not use scripted Groovy connectors materially reduce exposure. No user interaction by a second party is required.

Impact

The NVD CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N, score 9.8) conflicts with the vendor's own description, which explicitly states the actor must be 'an administrator with adequate entitlements' - that implies privileges are required (PR:H/PR:L), not PR:N. This discrepancy should be verified with the vendor; a more defensible assessment lands in the high (not critical) range once privilege requirements are accounted for. No EPSS score, KEV listing, POC, or SSVC decision data was provided, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified from the input; there is no evidence of active exploitation and no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Real-world priority is therefore driven by exposure of the Syncope admin console to untrusted or over-entitled operators and by insider/compromised-admin threat models, rather than by mass unauthenticated exploitation implied by the raw 9.8.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An administrator (or an attacker who has compromised admin credentials) with connector-management entitlements creates or edits a scripted REST or SQL connector and embeds a malicious Groovy payload that escapes the sandbox. When the connector executes, the payload runs arbitrary code on the Syncope host with the privileges of the application's JVM. No public POC was provided, and exploitation presupposes privileged access to the admin subsystem.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
No patch listed yet 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv2 – Jul 21, 2026

Remote code execution in Apache Syncope's connector subsystem allows an administrator holding sufficient entitlements to run arbitrary Groovy scripts through scripted REST and SQL connectors, escaping the intended sandbox and executing code on the host. It affects Syncope 3.0.0-M0 through 3.0.16, 4.0.0-M0 through 4.0.6, and 4.1.0-M0 through 4.1.1, and is rooted in improper isolation (CWE-653) of the scripting engine. Although the published CVSS is 9.8, the vendor description states an authenticated privileged administrator is required, and there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Jul 20, 2026 - 15:07

Remote code execution in Apache Syncope allows an authenticated administrator holding connector-subsystem entitlements to break out of the Groovy security sandbox and execute arbitrary OS-level commands on the Syncope server. The vulnerability spans all 3.0.x, 4.0.x (through 4.0.6), and 4.1.x (through 4.1.1) release trains, meaning a broad swath of deployed versions across two major release families are affected. No public exploit or CISA KEV listing exists at time of analysis, so the primary risk profile is insider threat or credential-compromise scenarios targeting privileged admin accounts.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade to Apache Syncope 4.0.7 or 4.1.2, which fix the issue by hardening the Groovy security sandbox; 3.0.x users should move to a fixed 4.0.x/4.1.x release since no fixed 3.0.x version is cited in the advisory (confirm the 3.0 upgrade path with Apache). Until patching, reduce the entitlement footprint by removing connector-management and script-editing entitlements from all but a minimal set of trusted administrators, avoid or disable scripted REST and SQL connectors that execute Groovy where they are not operationally required, and restrict network access to the Syncope admin console/core so only trusted management hosts can reach it - noting the trade-off that curtailing scripted connectors may break provisioning workflows that legitimately depend on Groovy transformations. Follow the official advisory at https://lists.apache.org/thread/nmzvz6gb2ldm30wvyk613r8dfrb6r8yx for exact upgrade guidance.

Affected VersionsENISA

Apache Syncope 3.0.0-M0 ≤3.0.16
Apache Syncope 4.0.0-M0 ≤4.0.6
Apache Syncope 4.1.0-M0 ≤4.1.1

Affected Packages

euvd apache_syncope no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Apache Syncope is an open-source identity management (IdM/IGA) platform used to provision and synchronize identities across external systems via ConnId-based connectors. Scripted connectors (REST and SQL variants) intentionally support Groovy scripts to transform or route provisioning data, executing them inside a security sandbox. The flaw is CWE-653 (Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization): the Groovy sandbox does not sufficiently confine script execution, so a user permitted to define connector scripts can break out of the intended boundary and reach the underlying JVM/host. The single affected product per CPE is cpe:2.3:a:apache_software_foundation:apache_syncope, and the root cause is insufficient hardening of the Groovy engine rather than a memory-safety or injection defect in a parser.

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Severity by source

Vendor (apache) PRIMARY 9.8 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.2 HIGH

Vendor requires an administrator with connector entitlements, so PR:H not PR:N; network-reachable admin API with no added complexity gives AV:N/AC:L, and Groovy RCE yields full C:H/I:H/A:H.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (apache).

CVSS VectorVendor: apache

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Analysis Updated
Jul 21, 2026 - 16:33 vuln.today
v2 - CVSS changed
CVSS changed
Jul 21, 2026 - 16:22 NVD
9.8 (CRITICAL)

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization vulnerability in Apache Syncope.

An administrator with adequate entitlements can achieve remote code execution through the connector subsystem by relying on scripted connectors' (REST and SQL) capability to run Groovy scripts.

This issue affects Apache Syncope: from 3.0.0-M0 through 3.0.16, from 4.0.0-M0 Through 4.0.6, from 4.1.0-M0 through 4.1.1.

Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.0.7 / 4.1.2, which fix this issue by hardening the Groovy security sandbox.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Apache Syncope (identity and connector management platform) versions 3.0.0-3.0.16, 4.0.0-4.0.6, and 4.1.0-4.1.1 contain a critical remote code execution vulnerability in the connector subsystem that allows authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary code on host systems. Organizations using Syncope for identity provisioning and account provisioning face risk of infrastructure compromise through insider threat or compromised admin credentials.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: enforce multi-factor authentication and privileged access management for Syncope administrators, implement network-level controls restricting administrative access to Syncope, enable comprehensive audit logging of all administrative actions and connector operations, disable Groovy-based scripted SQL and REST connectors if operationally feasible, and enforce principle of least privilege for administrative role assignments.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 79% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche open-source identity-management platform, limited enterprise deployment footprint
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

34
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +34
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.

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