Apache has issued critical security updates for its Syncope identity and access management (IAM) platform to address multiple vulnerabilities, including remote code execution (RCE), SQL injection, privilege escalation, server-side request forgery (SSRF), and information disclosure.
These flaws affect various versions of Syncope, and administrators are strongly urged to upgrade promptly to the latest secure releases.
The updates are primarily available in versions 4.1.2, 4.0.7, 4.1.1, 4.0.6, 4.0.4, 3.0.16, 4.0.3, and 3.0.15, which collectively resolve a series of newly discovered Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) across the core, console, and end-user components.
The release details how these vulnerabilities impact the 3.0, 4.0, and 4.1 branches of Syncope, with risks present from early milestone builds to recent stable versions.
Apache does not provide binary hotfixes; thus, users must either upgrade to the patched versions or rebuild installations from the updated source code to ensure ongoing security and support.
Apache Syncope Release Patches
One of the significant vulnerabilities involves RCE that can be exploited through Groovy integration and scriptable connectors. Attackers with adequate privileges can leverage Groovy classes or BPMN Groovy ScriptTasks to bypass security controls, executing untrusted code directly on the server.
Additionally, misuse of scripted REST and SQL connectors can allow privileged users to execute arbitrary Groovy logic, leading to post-authentication RCE. Another critical issue is a SQL injection vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-57308, affecting the Audit Events search functionality.
This flaw allows authenticated administrators to input unvalidated sort parameters, leading to unauthorized SQL queries against the backing database. It impacts several versions, specifically from 3.0.0-M0 to 3.0.16, and 4.0.0-M0 to 4.0.6, with fixes included in versions 4.0.7 and 4.1.2.
Additionally, there is a privilege escalation flaw (CVE-2026-62183) in self-service workflows that allows users to assign themselves roles without proper admin approval, effectively granting them administrative access. This issue appears in the same version ranges as the SQL injection vulnerability and is resolved in the same updates.
Apache also addressed a low-privilege authenticated SSRF vulnerability, which could allow crafted requests to trigger arbitrary outbound HTTP calls.
There are advisories for information disclosure bugs (CVE-2026-42797) that enable sensitive user field exposure during data reads, as well as web interface vulnerabilities, including XML External Entity (XXE) attacks and cross-site scripting (XSS) issues, which can lead to credential theft and session hijacking.
| CVE ID | Type | Issue | Affected Versions | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-63071 | RCE | Groovy sandbox bypass | 4.1.0–4.1.1, 4.0.0–4.0.6, 3.0.0–3.0.16 | 4.1.2, 4.0.7 |
| CVE-2026-62418 | SSRF | Authenticated SSRF | 4.1.0–4.1.1, 4.0.0–4.0.6, 3.0.0–3.0.16 | 4.1.2, 4.0.7 |
| CVE-2026-62183 | Privilege Escalation | Self-role assignment | 4.1.0–4.1.1, 4.0.0–4.0.6, 3.0.0–3.0.16 | 4.1.2, 4.0.7 |
| CVE-2026-57308 | SQL Injection | Audit search SQLi | 4.1.0–4.1.1, 4.0.0–4.0.6, 3.0.0–3.0.16 | 4.1.2, 4.0.7 |
| CVE-2026-53421 | RCE | Scripted connector RCE | 4.1.0–4.1.1, 4.0.0–4.0.6, 3.0.0–3.0.16 | 4.1.2, 4.0.7 |
| CVE-2026-53405 | RCE | Flowable Groovy RCE | 4.1.0–4.1.1, 4.0.0–4.0.6, 3.0.0–3.0.16 | 4.1.2, 4.0.7 |
| CVE-2026-42797 | Info Disclosure | JEXL data exposure | 4.1.0, 4.0–4.0.5, 3.0–3.0.16 | 4.1.1, 4.0.6 |
| CVE-2026-42782 | Post-auth RCE | Groovy sandbox bypass | 4.1.0, 4.0–4.0.5, 3.0–3.0.16 | 4.1.1, 4.0.6 |
| CVE-2026-23795 | XXE | Keymaster XML XXE | 4.0–4.0.3, 3.0–3.0.15 | 4.0.4, 3.0.16 |
| CVE-2026-23794 | XSS | Login reflected XSS | 4.0–4.0.3, 3.0–3.0.15 | 4.0.4, 3.0.16 |
| CVE-2025-65998 | Crypto | Hard-coded AES key | 4.0–4.0.2, 3.0–3.0.14, 2.1–2.1.14 | 4.0.3, 3.0.15 |
| CVE-2025-57738 | RCE | Groovy implementation RCE | 4.0–4.0.1, 3.0–3.0.13, 2.1–2.1.14 | 4.0.2, 3.0.14 |
| CVE-2024-45031 | Stored XSS | HTML sanitization flaw | 3.0–3.0.8, 2.1–2.1.14 | 3.0.9 |
| CVE-2024-38503 | XSS | HTML injection | 3.0–3.0.7, 2.1–2.1.14 | 3.0.8 |
Beyond these recent issues, Syncope’s security advisories reiterate older flaws, such as a hardcoded AES key (CVE-2025-65998) used for password encryption.
The updates also fix a flaw that could allow attackers with database access to decrypt stored passwords, along with previous RCE vulnerabilities related to Groovy and server-side template injection in mail templates.
Apache advises all administrators to upgrade their systems to the latest secure versions, emphasizing versions 4.1.2 and 4.0.7 to mitigate the most critical vulnerabilities.
It is also recommended to review user roles and entitlements rigorously, especially in workflows and self-service functionalities, to enforce appropriate security measures and access controls.
