CVE-2026-25087: Apache Arrow · Use After Free
Affects Apache ArrowSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.0 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:11 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 59% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Apache Software FoundationApache Arrow | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
1. Audit all applications and services using Apache Arrow C++ to determine if pre-buffering is enabled via RecordBatchFileReader::PreBufferMetadata. 2. If pre-buffering is enabled, consider disabling it to eliminate the vulnerability, understanding that this may impact performance. 3. Upgrade Apache Arrow C++ to version 23.0.1 or later, where the vulnerability is patched, to maintain pre-buffering benefits without risk. 4. Implement strict input validation and source verification for IPC files ingested from external or untrusted sources to reduce the risk of malicious file processing. 5. Employ runtime memory protection mechanisms such as AddressSanitizer or similar tools during development and testing to detect use-after-free conditions early. 6. Monitor application logs and crash reports for signs of memory corruption or unexpected terminations related to IPC file processing. 7. Isolate data processing environments handling IPC files from untrusted sources to limit potential denial of service impact. 8. Stay informed on Apache Arrow security advisories and apply patches promptly.
Description
Use After Free vulnerability in Apache Arrow C++. This issue affects Apache Arrow C++ from 15.0.0 through 23.0.0. It can be triggered when reading an Arrow IPC file (but not an IPC stream) with pre-buffering enabled, if the IPC file contains data with variadic buffers (such as Binary View and String View data). Depending on the number of variadic buffers in a record batch column and on the temporal sequence of multi-threaded IO, a write to a dangling pointer could occur. The value (a `std::shared_ptr<Buffer>` object) that is written to the dangling pointer is not under direct control of the attacker. Pre-buffering is disabled by default but can be enabled using a specific C++ API call (`RecordBatchFileReader::PreBufferMetadata`). The functionality is not exposed in language bindings (Python, Ruby, C GLib), so these bindings are not vulnerable. The most likely consequence of this issue would be random crashes or memory corruption when reading specific kinds of IPC files. If the application allows ingesting IPC files from untrusted sources, this could plausibly be exploited for denial of service. Inducing more targeted kinds of misbehavior (such as confidential data extraction from the running process) depends on memory allocation and multi-threaded IO temporal patterns that are unlikely to be easily controlled by an attacker. Advice for users of Arrow C++: 1. check whether you enable pre-buffering on the IPC file reader (using `RecordBatchFileReader::PreBufferMetadata`) 2. if so, either disable pre-buffering (which may have adverse performance consequences), or switch to Arrow 23.0.1 which is not vulnerable