GHSA-3w5v-p54c-f74x — ejs
CRITICALGHSA-3w5v-p54c-f74x is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in ejs. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for ejs — see the affected versions and patch details below.
ejs is vulnerable to remote code execution due to weak input validation
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
GHSA-3w5v-p54c-f74x 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 378,156 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
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.
ejsnpmDescription
nodejs ejs versions older than 2.5.3 is vulnerable to remote code execution due to weak input validation in ejs.renderFile() function
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | ejs | all versions | 2.5.5npm install ejs@2.5.5 |
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 ejs, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update ejs to 2.5.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-3w5v-p54c-f74x 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-3w5v-p54c-f74x can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-3w5v-p54c-f74x. 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-3w5v-p54c-f74x in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-3w5v-p54c-f74x across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.