GHSA-4mmh-5vw7-rgvj is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Path Traversal vulnerability in com.github.jlangch:venice. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for com.github.jlangch:venice — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Venice vulnerable to Partial Path Traversal issue within the functions `load-file` and `load-resource`
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 GHSA-4mmh-5vw7-rgvj.
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-4mmh-5vw7-rgvj 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 377,166 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
com.github.jlangch:veniceReal-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
A partial path traversal issue exists within the functions load-file and load-resource. These functions can be limited to load files from a list of load paths.
Assuming Venice has been configured with the load paths: [ "/Users/foo/resources" ]
When passing relative paths to these two vulnerable functions everything is fine:
(load-resource "test.png") => loads the file "/Users/foo/resources/test.png"
(load-resource "../resources-alt/test.png") => rejected, outside the load path
When passing absolute paths to these two vulnerable functions Venice may return files outside the configured load paths:
(load-resource "/Users/foo/resources/test.png") => loads the file "/Users/foo/resources/test.png"
(load-resource "/Users/foo/resources-alt/test.png") => loads the file "/Users/foo/resources-alt/test.png" !!!
The latter call suffers from the Partial Path Traversal vulnerability.
This issue’s scope is limited to absolute paths whose name prefix matches a load path. E.g. for a load-path "/Users/foo/resources", the actor can cause loading a resource also from "/Users/foo/resources-alt", but not from "/Users/foo/images".
Versions of Venice before and including v1.10.16 are affected by this issue.
Patches
Upgrade to Venice >= 1.10.17, if you are on a version < 1.10.17
Workarounds
If you cannot upgrade the library, you can control the functions that can be used in Venice with a sandbox. If it is appropriate, the functions load-file and load-resource can be blacklisted in the sandbox.
References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in GitHub Venice
- Email us at juerg.ch
Credits
I want to publicly recognize the contribution of Jonathan Leitschuh for reporting this issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.github.jlangch:venice | all versions | 1.10.17com.github.jlangch:venice:1.10.17 |
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 com.github.jlangch:venice, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update com.github.jlangch:venice to 1.10.17 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4mmh-5vw7-rgvj 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-4mmh-5vw7-rgvj can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-4mmh-5vw7-rgvj. 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-4mmh-5vw7-rgvj in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-4mmh-5vw7-rgvj across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.