CVE-2024-52338 - Critical RCE Vulnerability in Apache Arrow R Package via Untrusted Data Deserialization

A critical security vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-52338, has been discovered in the Apache Arrow R package. This vulnerability allows arbitrary code execution (RCE) due to improper deserialization of untrusted data in its IPC and Parquet readers. In this long-read post, we’ll break down what the vulnerability is, how it can be exploited, share code snippets, and, most importantly, how to protect your systems if you use Arrow in R.

What Is the Arrow R Package?

Apache Arrow is a cross-language development platform for in-memory data. The Arrow R package brings Arrow’s zero-copy capabilities and file format support (Parquet, Feather, Arrow IPC) into R for blazing fast data operations.

What’s the Issue?

The problem arises when the Arrow R package reads Arrow IPC, Parquet, or Feather data from untrusted sources—such as files uploaded by users. If the deserialization routines inside Arrow encounter malicious payloads, attacker-controlled code can be executed on your system.

The root cause is unsafe deserialization: the package does not sufficiently validate or sandbox objects extracted from file contents, allowing them to trigger arbitrary R or even system-level code when certain conversion or parsing functions are called.

> This flaw only affects the R package; if you use other language bindings (Python, C++, etc.), they are not impacted *unless* you are invoking the vulnerable Arrow R codebase.

Attack Scenario: How Could It Be Exploited?

1. Attacker uploads a crafted Parquet/IPC/Feather file (payload)

Your R-based web app or data processing pipeline loads this file using Arrow (e.g., read_parquet)

3. The Arrow R package deserializes content unsafely, and attacker’s R commands embedded inside the file run on your server.

Imagine an attacker crafts a Parquet file with malicious R code embedded

# Vulnerable code: reads user-supplied file without validation
library(arrow)

# The attacker supplies evil_payload.parquet
attacker_data <- read_parquet("evil_payload.parquet")  # Triggers the exploit!

Result: Malicious R code executes with the privileges of the R process (could open a shell, steal data, or pivot further).

Here’s an example showing how a compromised file could cause damage

# Malicious Parquet file triggers this upon read, FOR EXAMPLE:
system("rm -rf ~/important_files/")  # or installs spyware, etc.

While Arrow’s internal code won’t call system() naively, if the attacker can simulate arbitrary evaluation through deserialization, this gives them the power.

You use Apache Arrow’s R package version 4.. through 16.1.

- Your application reads Arrow/Parquet/Feather files that aren’t *guaranteed* to be safe/trustworthy (user uploads, API feeds, external data, etc.)

Note: If you call Arrow R from within another language (e.g., via reticulate from Python), you are still vulnerable if the R package is within the affected versions.

Upgrade to Arrow R package version 17.. or later

# In R:
install.packages("arrow")  # As of June 2024, this fetches the fixed version

If You Can’t Upgrade Right Now: Workaround

If you are stuck on a vulnerable version, a safer (but not fully robust) workaround is to ensure you avoid direct deserialization to data.frame with user files.

Instead, *force Arrow to delay conversion* and explicitly call a conversion function when appropriate:

# Example workaround:
tbl <- read_parquet("user_supplied_file.parquet", as_data_frame = FALSE)
df <- tbl$to_data_frame()  # Implicitly avoids direct deserialization via the vulnerable code path

> This workaround is a stop-gap—it does not fully guarantee safety from all future variants or unpredictable attacker creativity. Upgrading is strongly preferred.

References & Learn More

- Arrow Security Notice: CVE-2024-52338 (Deserialization Vulnerability in R)
- Official Arrow R Package on CRAN
- NVD Entry for CVE-2024-52338
- Arrow Release Notes

Conclusion

CVE-2024-52338 is a major vulnerability in the Apache Arrow R package that can lead to arbitrary code execution if you load Arrow/Feather/Parquet data from untrusted sources. All users must upgrade to version 17.. or higher ASAP. Data science and analytics pipelines are often “soft targets” for this kind of supply chain attack, so don’t procrastinate—check your installed packages today!

If you can’t upgrade right now, use the workaround, but plan to patch at the earliest opportunity.

Stay safe, and keep your R environments secure!

*For in-depth questions and exploit analysis, check out the official GitHub issue and monitor the Apache Arrow security advisories.*

Timeline

Published on: 11/28/2024 17:15:48 UTC
Last modified on: 11/29/2024 15:15:17 UTC