# CVE-2020-13955: Missing Authentication for Critical Function in Apache Calcite

> Apache Calcite disables HTTPS hostname verification, allowing man-in-the-middle attacks and information leakage when connecting to external data sources.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Oct 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hxp5-8pgq-mgv9

## What is CVE-2020-13955?

CVE-2020-13955 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Calcite, published on 9 Oct 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

HttpUtils#getURLConnection method disables explicitly hostname verification for HTTPS connections making clients vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Calcite uses internally this method to connect with Druid and Splunk so information leakage may happen when using the respective Calcite adapters. The method itself is in a utility class so people may use it to create vulnerable HTTPS connections for other applications. From Apache Calcite 1.26 onwards, the hostname verification will be performed using the default JVM truststore.

Weakness: CWE-295 (Improper Certificate Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-13955?

6 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.calcite:calcite-core, org.apache.calcite:calcite-druid and org.apache.calcite:calcite-splunk. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.apache.calcite:calcite-core` | Maven | All versions | 1.26.0 |
| `org.apache.calcite:calcite-core` | Maven | All versions | 1.26.0 |
| `org.apache.calcite:calcite-druid` | Maven | All versions | 1.26.0 |
| `org.apache.calcite:calcite-druid` | Maven | All versions | 1.26.0 |
| `org.apache.calcite:calcite-splunk` | Maven | All versions | 1.26.0 |
| `org.apache.calcite:calcite-splunk` | Maven | All versions | 1.26.0 |

Products: Apache Calcite.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-13955?

Upgrade org.apache.calcite:calcite-core to 1.26.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2020-13955 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-13955 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Apache Calcite

- [CVE-2022-39135](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-39135/): Apache Calcite: potential XEE attacks (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-46718](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46718/): Apache Calcite: A user-controled model can load arbitrary classes, leading to code execution (medium 6.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-13955 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-13955 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Calcite, published on 9 Oct 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-13955 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.apache.calcite:calcite-core (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.26.0
- org.apache.calcite:calcite-core (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.26.0
- org.apache.calcite:calcite-druid (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.26.0
- org.apache.calcite:calcite-druid (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.26.0
- org.apache.calcite:calcite-splunk (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.26.0
- org.apache.calcite:calcite-splunk (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.26.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-13955/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-13955/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-13955
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13955
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-13955

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-13955/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.