How severe is CVE-2022-21687?

CVE-2022-21687 has a CVSS score of 6.8/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2022-21687?

CVE-2022-21687 affects the following packages: github.com/github/gh-ost (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2022-21687?

Update github.com/github/gh-ost to 1.1.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21687 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2022-21687 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/github/gh-ost, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2022-21687 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Is CVE-2022-21687 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2022-21687 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2022-21687?

CVE-2022-21687 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.0%, placing it in the 62th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2022-21687?

CVE-2022-21687 is classified as Improper Input Validation (CWE-20). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2022-21687 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2022-21687 was published on February 1, 2022 and was last updated on August 12, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐹

🐹 Go

Not in CISA KEV

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2022-21687 — gh-ost

MEDIUMFix: github/gh-ost@a91ab04

CVE-2022-21687 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.8) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in github.com/github/gh-ost. A fix is available for github.com/github/gh-ost — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Command injection in gh-ost

Also known asGHSA-rrp4-2xx3-mv29GO-2022-0298

Published

Feb 1, 2022

Updated

Aug 12, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Oct 9, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-21687.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.0%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs62th percentile — riskier than 62% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2022-21687 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐹github.com/github/gh-ost

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Gh-ost version <= 1.1.2 allows users to inject DSN strings via the -database parameter.

This is a low severity vulnerability as the attacker must have access to the target host or trick an administrator into executing a malicious gh-ost command on a host running gh-ost, plus network access from host running gh-ost to the attack's malicious MySQL server.

Impact

This issue may lead to arbitrary local file read.

Patches

Fixed in 1.1.3+.

Workarounds

None

References

https://advisory.dw1.io/51

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in github/gh-ost

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/github/gh-ost`	all versions	1.1.3`go get github.com/github/gh-ost@v1.1.3`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

gh-ostgithub

< 1.1.3

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/github/gh-ost, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/github/gh-ost to 1.1.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21687 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Gh-ost version <= 1.1.2 allows users to inject DSN strings via the `-database` parameter. This is a low severity vulnerability as the attacker must have access to the target host or trick an administrator into executing a malicious `gh-ost` command on a host running `gh-ost`, plus network access from host running `gh-ost` to the attack's malicious MySQL server. ### Impact This issue may lead to arbitrary local file read. ### Patches Fixed in 1.1.3+. ### Workarounds None ### References - https://advisory.dw1.io/51 ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this a