CVE-2025-52999: jackson-core Has Potential for StackoverflowError if user parses an input file that contains very deeply nested data
Impact With older versions of jackson-core, if you parse an input file and it has deeply nested data, Jackson could end up throwing a StackoverflowError if the depth is particularly large.
Patches jackson-core 2.15.0 contains a configurable limit for how deep Jackson will traverse in an input document, defaulting to an allowable depth of 1000. Change is in https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-core/pull/943. jackson-core will throw a StreamConstraintsException if the limit is reached. jackson-databind also benefits from this change because it uses jackson-core to parse JSON inputs.
Workarounds Users should avoid parsing input files from untrusted sources.
Other sources
jackson-core contains core low-level incremental ("streaming") parser and generator abstractions used by Jackson Data Processor. In versions prior to 2.15.0, if a user parses an input file and it has deeply nested data, Jackson could end up throwing a StackoverflowError if the depth is particularly large. jackson-core 2.15.0 contains a configurable limit for how deep Jackson will traverse in an input document, defaulting to an allowable depth of 1000. jackson-core will throw a StreamConstraintsException if the limit is reached. jackson-databind also benefits from this change because it uses jackson-core to parse JSON inputs. As a workaround, users should avoid parsing input files from untrusted sources.
— NVD
The jackson-core package is vulnerable to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. The methods in the classes listed below fail to restrict input size when performing numeric type conversions. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by causing the application to deserialize data containing certain numeric types with large values. Deserializing many of the aforementioned objects may cause the application to exhaust all available resources, resulting in a DoS condition.
— IBM
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
maven/com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-coreto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2.15.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
jackson-coreto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2.15.0 - Compensating control
Avoid parsing input files from untrusted sources.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-52999?
CVE-2025-52999 is classified as a critical vulnerability due to the potential for causing a StackOverflowError during parsing of deeply nested data.
How do I fix CVE-2025-52999?
To mitigate CVE-2025-52999, upgrade to Jackson core version 2.15.0 or later.
What versions are affected by CVE-2025-52999?
CVE-2025-52999 affects versions of Jackson core and Jackson databind prior to 2.15.0.
What is the impact of CVE-2025-52999?
The impact of CVE-2025-52999 is that it may lead to application crashes due to StackOverflowError when processing deeply nested JSON data.
Who is the vendor associated with CVE-2025-52999?
The vendor associated with CVE-2025-52999 is FasterXML, which develops the Jackson libraries.