CVE-2023-28867 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-770 vulnerability in com.graphql-java:graphql-java. A fix is available for com.graphql-java:graphql-java — see the affected versions and patch details below.
GraphQL Java vulnerable to stack consumption
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- 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-2023-28867.
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-2023-28867 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 377,636 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
com.graphql-java:graphql-java☕com.graphql-java:graphql-java☕com.graphql-java:graphql-java☕com.graphql-java:graphql-java☕com.graphql-java:graphql-javaReal-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
In GraphQL Java (aka graphql-java) before 20.1, an attacker can send a crafted GraphQL query that causes stack consumption. The fixed versions are 20.1, 19.4, 18.4, 17.5, and 0.0.0-2023-03-20T01-49-44-80e3135.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.graphql-java:graphql-java | all versions | 0.0.0-2023-03-20T01-49-44-80e3135com.graphql-java:graphql-java:0.0.0-2023-03-20T01-49-44-80e3135 |
| ☕Maven | com.graphql-java:graphql-java | ≥ 1.2&&< 17.5 | 17.5com.graphql-java:graphql-java:17.5 |
| ☕Maven | com.graphql-java:graphql-java | ≥ 18.0&&< 18.4 | 18.4com.graphql-java:graphql-java:18.4 |
| ☕Maven | com.graphql-java:graphql-java | ≥ 19.0&&< 19.4 | 19.4com.graphql-java:graphql-java:19.4 |
| ☕Maven | com.graphql-java:graphql-java | ≥ 20.0&&< 20.1 | 20.1com.graphql-java:graphql-java:20.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.graphql-java:graphql-java, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update com.graphql-java:graphql-java to 0.0.0-2023-03-20T01-49-44-80e3135 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-28867 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-2023-28867 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-28867. 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.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat build of Quarkus 2.13.8.Final | com.graphql-java/graphql-java:19.4.0.redhat-00001 | RHSA-2023:3809 |
| RHINT Service Registry 2.4.3 GA | graphql-java | RHSA-2023:3815 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-28867 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-28867 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.