GHSA-76x8-gg39-5jjg is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Path Traversal vulnerability in cherrypy. 4 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for cherrypy — see the affected versions and patch details below.
CherryPy Malicious cookies allow access to files outside the session directory
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-76x8-gg39-5jjg 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
cherrypy🐍cherrypyReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Directory traversal vulnerability in the _get_file_path function in (1) lib/sessions.py in CherryPy 3.0.x up to 3.0.2, (2) filter/sessionfilter.py in CherryPy 2.1, and (3) filter/sessionfilter.py in CherryPy 2.x allows remote attackers to create or delete arbitrary files, and possibly read and write portions of arbitrary files, via a crafted session id in a cookie.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | cherrypy | all versions | 2.1.1pip install --upgrade 'cherrypy==2.1.1' |
| 🐍PyPI | cherrypy | ≥ 3.0&&< 3.0.2 | 3.0.2pip install --upgrade 'cherrypy==3.0.2' |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Directory traversal vulnerability in the _get_file_path function in (1) …
Directory traversal vulnerability in the _get_file_path function in (1) …
Directory traversal vulnerability in the _get_file_path function in (1) …
Directory traversal vulnerability in the _get_file_path function in (1) …
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for cherrypy, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update cherrypy to 2.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-76x8-gg39-5jjg 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-76x8-gg39-5jjg can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-76x8-gg39-5jjg. 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-76x8-gg39-5jjg in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-76x8-gg39-5jjg across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.