CVE-2026-54550 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.4) Path Traversal vulnerability in org.codehaus.izpack:izpack-installer. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-54550 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
IzPack: Path Traversal in UnpackerBase allows writing files outside the installation directory via malicious pack entries
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.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-54550.
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-2026-54550 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 365,433 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.izpack:izpack-installerReal-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
IzPack is a widely used tool for packaging applications on the Java platform as cross-platform installers. In 5.2.6 and earlier, UnpackerBase.unpack() in izpack-installer/src/main/java/com/izforge/izpack/installer/unpacker/UnpackerBase.java obtains an attacker-controlled PackFile targetPath, passes it through IoHelper.translatePath(), which only converts separators, and constructs a File without normalizing parent-directory segments or enforcing destination containment. A malicious installer pack entry containing ../ sequences can therefore write outside the intended installation directory to startup folders, executable search paths, or other locations accessible with the victim's privileges when the victim runs the installer.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.codehaus.izpack:izpack-installer | 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 org.codehaus.izpack:izpack-installer. 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.
Remediation status
No patched version of org.codehaus.izpack:izpack-installer has shipped for CVE-2026-54550 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
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-2026-54550 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-2026-54550. 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-2026-54550 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-54550 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.