CVE-2025-24789: Snowflake JDBC allows an untrusted search path on Windows
Issue Snowflake discovered and remediated a vulnerability in the Snowflake JDBC Driver. When the EXTERNALBROWSER authentication method is used on Windows, an attacker with write access to a directory in the %PATH% can escalate their privileges to the user that runs the vulnerable JDBC Driver version.
This vulnerability affects versions 3.2.3 through 3.21.0 on Windows. Snowflake fixed the issue in version 3.22.0.
Vulnerability Details When the EXTERNALBROWSER authentication method is selected, the Snowflake JDBC Driver on non-macOS operating systems tries to open the SSO URL using xdg-open. Because xdg-open is a Linux program that doesn’t exist in a default Windows installation, a sufficiently privileged attacker could place a malicious executable in one of the directories on the %PATH% and achieve local privilege escalation to the user running the JDBC Driver.
Solution Snowflake released version 3.22.0 of the Snowflake JDBC Driver, which fixes this issue. We recommend users upgrade to version 3.22.0.
Additional Information If you discover a security vulnerability in one of our products or websites, please report the issue to HackerOne. For more information, please see our Vulnerability Disclosure Policy.
Other sources
Snowflake JDBC provides a JDBC type 4 driver that supports core functionality, allowing Java program to connect to Snowflake. Snowflake discovered and remediated a vulnerability in the Snowflake JDBC Driver. When the EXTERNALBROWSER authentication method is used on Windows, an attacker with write access to a directory in the %PATH% can escalate their privileges to the user that runs the vulnerable JDBC Driver version. This vulnerability affects versions 3.2.3 through 3.21.0 on Windows. Snowflake fixed the issue in version 3.22.0.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-24789?
CVE-2025-24789 has a high severity rating due to the potential for privilege escalation on affected systems.
How do I fix CVE-2025-24789?
To fix CVE-2025-24789, update the Snowflake JDBC Driver to version 3.22.0 or later.
Which versions of the Snowflake JDBC Driver are affected by CVE-2025-24789?
CVE-2025-24789 affects Snowflake JDBC Driver versions from 3.2.3 to 3.21.0.
What types of systems are impacted by CVE-2025-24789?
CVE-2025-24789 specifically impacts systems running the Snowflake JDBC Driver on Windows when using EXTERNALBROWSER authentication.
What actions should I take if I cannot immediately update for CVE-2025-24789?
If you cannot update, restrict write access to directories in the %PATH% to mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2025-24789.