CVE-2025-30065 is a critical vulnerability identified in the Apache Parquet Java library, specifically within the parquet-avro module. This vulnerability arises from improper handling of schema parsing, leading to deserialization of untrusted data (CWE-502). Deserialization vulnerabilities occur when untrusted input is processed by a program to reconstruct objects, which can be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely. In this case, the flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious Parquet files that, when parsed by affected versions of Apache Parquet (version 1.15.0 and earlier), trigger the deserialization of malicious payloads. This can result in remote code execution (RCE) without requiring any authentication or user interaction, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N). The vulnerability has a maximum CVSS 4.0 score of 10.0, reflecting its critical severity and the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on April 1, 2025, with a fix available in Apache Parquet version 1.15.1. Although no known exploits are currently observed in the wild, the ease of exploitation and the critical nature of the flaw make it a significant threat to any system processing untrusted Parquet data. Apache Parquet is widely used in big data processing, analytics platforms, and data lakes, often integrated with Apache Hadoop, Apache Spark, and other data processing frameworks. The vulnerability thus poses a risk to environments where Parquet files are ingested from untrusted or external sources, potentially allowing attackers to compromise data processing systems and gain control over affected hosts.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-30065 can be substantial, especially for enterprises relying on big data analytics, cloud data lakes, and data processing pipelines that use Apache Parquet Java libraries. Compromise of these systems could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of critical analytics workflows, and potential lateral movement within corporate networks. Given the criticality of the vulnerability and the lack of required authentication or user interaction, attackers could exploit this flaw remotely by delivering malicious Parquet files through data ingestion points, APIs, or shared storage. This could affect industries such as finance, telecommunications, manufacturing, and government agencies that leverage big data technologies for decision-making and operational efficiency. Additionally, the breach of data integrity and availability could undermine compliance with European data protection regulations like GDPR, leading to legal and reputational consequences. The vulnerability also poses risks to cloud service providers and managed service providers in Europe that offer big data processing services, potentially impacting multiple customers if exploited.

To mitigate CVE-2025-30065 effectively, European organizations should: 1) Immediately upgrade all Apache Parquet Java library instances to version 1.15.1 or later, which contains the patch addressing this deserialization vulnerability. 2) Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all Parquet files ingested from external or untrusted sources, including scanning files for anomalies before processing. 3) Employ network segmentation and least privilege principles to limit the exposure of data processing systems that handle Parquet files, reducing the attack surface. 4) Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual activity related to Parquet file processing, such as unexpected schema parsing errors or execution anomalies. 5) Where feasible, use sandboxing or containerization to isolate data processing workloads, minimizing the impact of potential exploitation. 6) Educate development and data engineering teams about secure handling of serialized data and the risks of deserialization vulnerabilities. 7) Coordinate with cloud providers and third-party vendors to ensure patched versions are deployed in managed environments. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on proactive patch management, input validation, architectural controls, and operational monitoring tailored to the specific nature of this vulnerability.