GHSA-7c4h-w765-6pwg is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in suricata-update. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for suricata-update — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OISF suricata-update unsafely deserializes YAML data
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-7c4h-w765-6pwg 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
suricata-updateReal-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
Suricata-Update uses the insecure yaml.load() function. Code will be executed if the yaml-file contains lines like:
hello: !!python/object/apply:os.system ['ls -l > /tmp/output']
The vulnerable function can be triggered by "suricata-update list-sources". The locally stored index.yaml will be loaded in this function and the malicious code gets executed.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | suricata-update | all versions | 1.0.0b1pip install --upgrade 'suricata-update==1.0.0b1' |
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 suricata-update, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update suricata-update to 1.0.0b1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-7c4h-w765-6pwg 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-7c4h-w765-6pwg can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-7c4h-w765-6pwg. 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-7c4h-w765-6pwg in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-7c4h-w765-6pwg across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.