GHSA-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf is a high-severity (CVSS 7.9) CWE-74 vulnerability in io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in dropwizard-validation
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.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf.
Real-World Exposure
io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation☕io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validationReal-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
Dropwizard-Validation before 1.3.19, and 2.0.2 may allow arbitrary code execution on the host system, with the privileges of the Dropwizard service account, by injecting arbitrary Java Expression Language expressions when using the self-validating feature.
Summary
A server-side template injection was identified in the self-validating (@SelfValidating) feature of dropwizard-validation enabling attackers to inject arbitrary Java EL expressions, leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability.
If you're using a self-validating bean (via @SelfValidating), an upgrade to Dropwizard 1.3.19 or 2.0.2 is strongly recommended.
Impact
This issue may allow Remote Code Execution (RCE), allowing to run arbitrary code on the host system (with the privileges of the Dropwizard service account privileges) by injecting arbitrary Java Expression Language (EL) expressions when using the self-validating feature (@SelfValidating, @SelfValidation) in dropwizard-validation.
Patches
The issue has been fixed in dropwizard-validation 1.3.19 and 2.0.2. We strongly recommend upgrading to one of these versions.
Workarounds
If you are not able to upgrade to one of the aforementioned versions of dropwizard-validation but still want to use the @SelfValidating feature, make sure to properly sanitize any message you're adding to the ViolationCollector in the method annotated with @SelfValidation.
Example:
@SelfValidation
public void validateFullName(ViolationCollector col) {
if (fullName.contains("_")) {
// Sanitize fullName variable by escaping relevant characters such as "$"
col.addViolation("Full name contains invalid characters: " + sanitizeJavaEl(fullName));
}
}
References
- https://github.com/dropwizard/dropwizard/pull/3157
- https://github.com/dropwizard/dropwizard/pull/3160
- https://docs.oracle.com/javaee/7/tutorial/jsf-el.htm
- https://docs.jboss.org/hibernate/validator/6.1/reference/en-US/html_single/#section-interpolation-with-message-expressions
- https://beanvalidation.org/2.0/spec/#validationapi-message-defaultmessageinterpolation
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in dropwizard/dropwizard
- Start a discussion on the dropwizard-dev mailing list
Security contact
If you want to responsibly disclose a security issue in Dropwizard or one of its official modules, please contact us via the published channels in our security policy:
https://github.com/dropwizard/dropwizard/security/policy#reporting-a-vulnerability
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation | ≥ 1.3.0-rc1&&< 1.3.19 | 1.3.19 |
| ☕Maven | io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.2 | 2.0.2 |
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 io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation. 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 io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation to 1.3.19 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf 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-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf 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-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf. 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-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.