GHSA-4g8c-wm8x-jfhw
HIGHSslHandler doesn't correctly validate packets which can lead to native crash when using native SSLEngine
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.
Blast Radius
io.netty:netty-handlerReal-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
Impact
When a special crafted packet is received via SslHandler it doesn't correctly handle validation of such a packet in all cases which can lead to a native crash.
Workarounds
As workaround its possible to either disable the usage of the native SSLEngine or changing the code from:
SslContext context = ...;
SslHandler handler = context.newHandler(....);
to:
SslContext context = ...;
SSLEngine engine = context.newEngine(....);
SslHandler handler = new SslHandler(engine, ....);
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.netty:netty-handler | ≥ 4.1.91.Final&&< 4.1.118.Final | 4.1.118.Final |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for io.netty:netty-handler. 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.netty:netty-handler to 4.1.118.Final or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4g8c-wm8x-jfhw 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-4g8c-wm8x-jfhw 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-4g8c-wm8x-jfhw. 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-4g8c-wm8x-jfhw in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-4g8c-wm8x-jfhw across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.