CVE-2022-4244 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Path Traversal vulnerability in org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils. A fix is available for org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Codehaus-plexus: directory traversal
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-4244.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2022-4244 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,567 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utilsReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A flaw was found in codeplex-codehaus. A directory traversal attack (also known as path traversal) aims to access files and directories stored outside the intended folder. By manipulating files with "dot-dot-slash (../)" sequences and their variations or by using absolute file paths, it may be possible to access arbitrary files and directories stored on the file system, including application source code, configuration, and other critical system files.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils | all versions | 3.0.24org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils:3.0.24 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils to 3.0.24 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-4244 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2022-4244 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2022-4244. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
Red Hat Single Sign-On uses this package for testing purposes and is not delivered with the distribution. Hence not affected status.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| RHINT Camel-K-1.10.1 | codehaus-plexus | RHSA-2023:3906 |
| RHPAM 7.13.1 async | see advisory | RHSA-2023:2135 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-4244 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2022-4244 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.