CVE-2023-46122
LOWArbitrary file write via archive extraction (Zip Slip) vulnerability in sbt
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.
Blast Radius
org.scala-sbt:sbt☕org.scala-sbt:io_2.12☕org.scala-sbt:io_2.13☕org.scala-sbt:io_3Real-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
sbt is a build tool for Scala, Java, and others. Given a specially crafted zip or JAR file, IO.unzip allows writing of arbitrary file. This would have potential to overwrite /root/.ssh/authorized_keys. Within sbt's main code, IO.unzip is used in pullRemoteCache task and Resolvers.remote; however many projects use IO.unzip(...) directly to implement custom tasks. This vulnerability has been patched in version 1.9.7.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.scala-sbt:sbt | ≥ 0.3.4&&< 1.9.7 | 1.9.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.scala-sbt:io_2.12 | ≥ 1.0.0&&< 1.9.7 | 1.9.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.scala-sbt:io_2.13 | ≥ 1.0.0&&< 1.9.7 | 1.9.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.scala-sbt:io_3 | ≥ 1.0.0&&< 1.9.7 | 1.9.7 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.scala-sbt:sbt. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.scala-sbt:sbt to 1.9.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-46122 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2023-46122 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2023-46122. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-46122 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2023-46122 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.