c3p0 vulnerable to Remote Code Execution via unsafe deserialization of userOverridesAsString property
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-27830 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-02-26 01:16:24 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-06-30 03:17:57 UTC |
| Description | c3p0, a JDBC Connection pooling library, is vulnerable to attack via maliciously crafted Java-serialized objects and `javax.naming.Reference` instances. Several c3p0 `ConnectionPoolDataSource` implementations have a property called `userOverridesAsString` which conceptually represents a `Map<String,Map<String,String>>`. Prior to v0.12.0, that property was maintained as a hex-encoded serialized object. Any attacker able to reset this property, on an existing `ConnectionPoolDataSource` or via maliciously crafted serialized objects or `javax.naming.Reference` instances could be tailored execute unexpected code on the application's `CLASSPATH`. The danger of this vulnerability was strongly magnified by vulnerabilities in c3p0's main dependency, mchange-commons-java. This library includes code that mirrors early implementations of JNDI functionality, including ungated support for remote `factoryClassLocation` values. Attackers could set c3p0's `userOverridesAsString` hex-encoded serialized objects that include objects "indirectly serialized" via JNDI references. Deserialization of those objects and dereferencing of the embedded `javax.naming.Reference` objects could provoke download and execution of malicious code from a remote `factoryClassLocation`. Although hazard presented by c3p0's vulnerabilites are exarcerbated by vulnerabilities in mchange-commons-java, use of Java-serialized-object hex as the format for a writable Java-Bean property, of objects that may be exposed across JNDI interfaces, represents a serious independent fragility. The `userOverridesAsString` property of c3p0 `ConnectionPoolDataSource` classes has been reimplemented to use a safe CSV-based format, rather than rely upon potentially dangerous Java object deserialization. c3p0-0.12.0+ and above depend upon mchange-commons-java 0.4.0+, which gates support for remote `factoryClassLocation` values by configuration parameters that default to restrictive values. c3p0 additionally enforces the new mchange-commons-java `com.mchange.v2.naming.nameGuardClassName` to prevent injection of unexpected, potentially remote JNDI names. There is no supported workaround for versions of c3p0 prior to 0.12.0. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 8.9 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
EPSS: 0.005340000 probability, percentile 0.411290000 (date 2026-07-02)
Problem Types: CWE-94 | CWE-502 | CWE-502 CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data | CWE-94 CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') | CWE-502 Deserialization of Untrusted Data
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 8.9 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | DECLARED | 8.9 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H |
| 3.1 | ADP | CVSS | 8 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | Secondary | 8 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
AdjacentAttack Complexity
LowAttack Requirements
PresentPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighSub Conf.
HighSub Integrity
HighSub Availability
HighCVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
AdjacentAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:4285 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-27830.json | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | security.access.redhat.com | |
| bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | bugzilla.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28385 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-27830 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:18054 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:18059 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| www.mchange.com/projects/c3p0 | [email protected] | www.mchange.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:3890 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| www.mchange.com/projects/c3p0 | [email protected] | www.mchange.com | |
| github.com/swaldman/c3p0/commit/e14cbd8166e423e2e9a9d6f08b2add3433492d6e | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/swaldman/c3p0/security/advisories/GHSA-5476-xc4j-rqcv | [email protected] | github.com | |
| mogwailabs.de/en/blog/2025/02/c3p0-you-little-rascal | [email protected] | mogwailabs.de | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:18055 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| ADP | 2026-02-26T01:01:56.834Z | Reported to Red Hat. |
| ADP | 2026-02-26T00:45:18.222Z | Made public. |
Solutions
ADP: RHSA-2026:18054: Red Hat JBoss EAP 8.1 for RHEL 8
ADP: RHSA-2026:18055: Red Hat JBoss EAP 8.1 for RHEL 9
ADP: RHSA-2026:28385: Red Hat Satellite 6.18 for RHEL 9
ADP: RHSA-2026:4285: Red Hat Build of Debezium 3.2
ADP: RHSA-2026:18059: Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 8.1
ADP: RHSA-2026:3890: Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4.14.4 for Spring Boot 3.5.11
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.