GHSA-53jx-vvf9-4x38 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.8) Path Traversal vulnerability in io.vertx:vertx-web. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for io.vertx:vertx-web — see the affected versions and patch details below.
StaticHandler disclosure of classpath resources on Windows when mounted on a wildcard route
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-53jx-vvf9-4x38.
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-53jx-vvf9-4x38 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 378,567 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
io.vertx:vertx-webReal-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
Vert.x-Web is a set of building blocks for building web applications in the java programming language. When running vertx web applications that serve files using StaticHandler on Windows Operating Systems and Windows File Systems, if the mount point is a wildcard (*) then an attacker can exfiltrate any class path resource. When computing the relative path to locate the resource, in case of wildcards, the code: return "/" + rest; from Utils.java returns the user input (without validation) as the segment to lookup. Even though checks are performed to avoid escaping the sandbox, given that the input was not sanitized \ are not properly handled and an attacker can build a path that is valid within the classpath. This issue only affects users deploying in windows environments and upgrading is the advised remediation path. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.vertx:vertx-web | ≥ 4.0.0&&< 4.3.8 | 4.3.8io.vertx:vertx-web:4.3.8 |
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.vertx:vertx-web, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update io.vertx:vertx-web to 4.3.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-53jx-vvf9-4x38 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-53jx-vvf9-4x38 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-53jx-vvf9-4x38. 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-53jx-vvf9-4x38 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-53jx-vvf9-4x38 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.