Summary
A flaw was found in hibernate-core in versions prior to 5.3.20.Final and in 5.4.0.Final up to and including 5.4.23.Final. A SQL injection in the implementation of the JPA Criteria API can permit unsanitized literals when a literal is used in the SQL comments of the query. This flaw could allow an attacker to access unauthorized information or possibly conduct further attacks. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity.
Impact
Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access. Typical impact: data disclosure or modification.
CVE-2020-25638 has a CVSS score of 7.4 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (5.4.24.Final, 5.3.20.Final); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
org.hibernate:hibernate-core to 5.4.24.Final or later; org.hibernate:hibernate-core to 5.3.20.Final or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2020-25638? CVE-2020-25638 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in org.hibernate:hibernate-core (maven), affecting versions >= 5.4.0.Final, < 5.4.24.Final. It is fixed in 5.4.24.Final, 5.3.20.Final. Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access.
- How severe is CVE-2020-25638? CVE-2020-25638 has a CVSS score of 7.4 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of org.hibernate:hibernate-core are affected by CVE-2020-25638? org.hibernate:hibernate-core (maven) versions >= 5.4.0.Final, < 5.4.24.Final is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2020-25638? Yes. CVE-2020-25638 is fixed in 5.4.24.Final, 5.3.20.Final. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2020-25638 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-25638 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2020-25638 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-25638?
- Upgrade
org.hibernate:hibernate-coreto 5.4.24.Final or later - Upgrade
org.hibernate:hibernate-coreto 5.3.20.Final or later
- Upgrade