GHSA-2mf3-mr2r-r4vf is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in @rhinostone/swig. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-2mf3-mr2r-r4vf is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
@rhinostone/swig: arbitrary local file read via include/extends path traversal
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
@rhinostone/swignpm@rhinostone/swig-corenpm@rhinostone/swig-twignpmDescription
Overview
@rhinostone/swig is a maintained fork of the abandoned swig template engine and inherited the directory-traversal vulnerability tracked upstream as CVE-2023-25345 / GHSA-2rq5-699j-x7p6. The {% include %}, {% extends %}, and {% import %} tags resolve their target path through the filesystem loader without confining the result to the configured template root. A path that traverses upward (../) escapes the root and reads an arbitrary file from the host filesystem, whose contents are emitted into the rendered output.
Attack scenario
The dangerous case does not require the attacker to control template source — only template data (the locals passed at render time). An application that renders a trusted template whose include / extends path is variable-driven is exposed:
// application code — a configured filesystem loader with a basepath
swig.renderFile('page.html', { partial: req.query.partial });
{# page.html — trusted template #}
{% include partial %}
Setting ?partial=../../../../etc/passwd makes the loader resolve and read that file, and its contents are rendered into the response. A literal in trusted source is equally affected: {% include "../../../etc/passwd" %}.
Impact
Arbitrary local file disclosure (confidentiality). An attacker able to influence an include / extends / import path — directly, or via untrusted locals — can read files outside the template directory: application configuration, credentials, source code, /etc/passwd, and so on. There is no integrity or availability impact.
Affected & patched
Every published version up to and including 2.7.0 is affected — @rhinostone/swig, and the shared @rhinostone/swig-core loader, hence @rhinostone/swig-twig, @rhinostone/swig-jinja2, and @rhinostone/swig-django as well.
Fixed in 2.7.1: the filesystem loader now rejects any include / extends / import path that resolves outside the configured basepath root, including paths supplied through an untrusted runtime variable. A new allowOutsideRoot loader option is available for the rare case of intentionally reading files from outside the root.
Upgrade to 2.7.2 or later: 2.7.1 fixed the vulnerability but introduced a regression — a relative basepath wrongly rejected every in-root template path. 2.7.2 resolves the basepath to an absolute path before the check and restores correct in-root resolution.
Workarounds
- Upgrade to
2.7.2(or later). - If you cannot upgrade immediately: configure the filesystem loader with an explicit
basepath, and never pass untrusted data into an{% include %}/{% extends %}/{% import %}path.
References
- GHSA-2rq5-699j-x7p6 — https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2rq5-699j-x7p6
- CVE-2023-25345 (NVD) — https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-25345
- Upstream issue (swig-templates) — https://github.com/node-swig/swig-templates/issues/88
- Fix commit — https://github.com/gina-io/swig/commit/381bdc305e0b10e45368d56324328b9b4f7017fc
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @rhinostone/swig | all versions | 2.7.1 |
| 📦npm | @rhinostone/swig-core | all versions | 2.7.1 |
| 📦npm | @rhinostone/swig-twig | all versions | 2.7.1 |
| 📦npm | @rhinostone/swig-jinja2 | all versions | 2.7.1 |
| 📦npm | @rhinostone/swig-django | all versions | 2.7.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @rhinostone/swig. 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 @rhinostone/swig to 2.7.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-2mf3-mr2r-r4vf 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 GHSA-2mf3-mr2r-r4vf 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 GHSA-2mf3-mr2r-r4vf. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-2mf3-mr2r-r4vf in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-2mf3-mr2r-r4vf across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.