JMESPath for Ruby uses unsafe JSON.load when safe JSON.parse is preferableGHSA-5c5f-7vfq-3732
CRITICALFix: jmespath/jmespath.rb#55GHSA-5c5f-7vfq-3732 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) vulnerability in jmespath. A fix is available for jmespath — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-5c5f-7vfq-3732.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
jmespathReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects RubyGems packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
jmespath.rb (aka JMESPath for Ruby) before 1.6.1 uses JSON.load in a situation where JSON.parse is preferable.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | jmespath | all versions | 1.6.1bundle update jmespath --conservative |
Affected Products
fedorafedoraprojectjmespathjmespathDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for jmespath, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update jmespath to 1.6.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-5c5f-7vfq-3732 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-5c5f-7vfq-3732 in your dependencies?
Find it across RubyGems, including transitive dependencies.