CVE-2024-49203 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.2) vulnerability in io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa. A fix is available for io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Querydsl vulnerable to HQL injection through orderBy
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.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-49203.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa☕io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-apt☕io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa☕io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-apt☕com.querydsl:querydsl-jpa☕com.querydsl:querydsl-aptReal-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
Summary
The order by method enables injecting HQL queries. This may cause blind HQL injection, which could lead to leakage of sensitive information, and potentially also Denial Of Service. This vulnerability is present since the original querydsl repository(https://github.com/querydsl/querydsl) where it was assigned preliminary CVE identifier CVE-2024-49203.
Details
Vulnerable code may look as follows:
@GetMapping
public List<Test> getProducts(@RequestParam("orderBy") String orderBy) {
JPAQuery<Test> query = new JPAQuery<Test>(entityManager).from(test);
PathBuilder<Test> pathBuilder = new PathBuilder<>(Test.class, "test");
OrderSpecifier order = new OrderSpecifier(Order.ASC, pathBuilder.get(orderBy));
JPAQuery<Test> orderedQuery = query.orderBy(order);
return orderedQuery.fetch();
}
Where vulnerability is either caused by pathBuilder.get(orderBy) or the orderBy(order) method itself, based on where the security checks are expected.
PoC
Full POC code is available in repository: https://github.com/CSIRTTrizna/CVE-2024-49203/ When we take a look at source code shown in Details section the functionality is as follows:
- Create JPAQuery object instance:
JPAQuery<Test> query = new JPAQuery<Test>(entityManager).from(test);
- Create OrderSpecifier object instance:
PathBuilder<Test> pathBuilder = new PathBuilder<>(Test.class, "test");
OrderSpecifier order = new OrderSpecifier(Order.ASC, pathBuilder.get(orderBy));
Where orderBy variable is user provided input.
- order and run the query
JPAQuery<Test> orderedQuery = query.orderBy(order);
orderedQuery.fetch();
When user goes to URL
/products?orderBy=name+INTERSECT+SELECT+t+FROM+Test+t+WHERE+(SELECT+cast(pg_sleep(10) AS text))='2'+ORDER+BY+t.id
The generated query will look something like this:
select test
from Test test
order by test.name INTERSECT SELECT t FROM Test t WHERE (SELECT cast(pg_sleep(10) AS text))='2' ORDER BY t.id asc
Environment
Library versions used in proof of concept to reproduce the vulnerability:
querydsl-jpa: 6.8.0
querydsl-apt: 6.8.0
hibernate-core: 6.1.1.Final
jakarta.persistence-api: 3.1.0
postgresql: 42.7.4
Impact
The vulnerability is HQL injection, so anyone using source code similar to one provided in details is exposed to potentional information leakage and denial of service.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa | ≥ 6.0.0.M1&&< 6.10.1 | 6.10.1io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa:6.10.1 |
| ☕Maven | io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-apt | ≥ 6.0.0.M1&&< 6.10.1 | 6.10.1io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-apt:6.10.1 |
| ☕Maven | io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa | all versions | 5.6.1io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa:5.6.1 |
| ☕Maven | io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-apt | all versions | 5.6.1io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-apt:5.6.1 |
| ☕Maven | com.querydsl:querydsl-jpa | all versions | No fix |
| ☕Maven | com.querydsl:querydsl-apt | all versions | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update io.github.openfeign.querydsl:querydsl-jpa to 6.10.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-49203 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-49203 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.