GHSA-7q5g-gph2-4rc6 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-23 vulnerability in org.apache.flink:flink-runtime. 5 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.flink:flink-runtime — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Upload of file to arbitrary path in Apache Flink
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-7q5g-gph2-4rc6 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE sits: patch-first territory.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 50–90% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.flink:flink-runtimeReal-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
Apache Flink 1.5.1 introduced a REST handler that allows you to write an uploaded file to an arbitrary location on the local file system, through a maliciously modified HTTP HEADER. The files can be written to any location accessible by Flink 1.5.1. All users should upgrade to Flink 1.11.3 or 1.12.0 if their Flink instance(s) are exposed. The issue was fixed in commit a5264a6f41524afe8ceadf1d8ddc8c80f323ebc4 from apache/flink:master.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.flink:flink-runtime | ≥ 1.5.1&&< 1.11.3 | 1.11.3org.apache.flink:flink-runtime:1.11.3 |
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 org.apache.flink:flink-runtime, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.flink:flink-runtime to 1.11.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-7q5g-gph2-4rc6 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-7q5g-gph2-4rc6 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-7q5g-gph2-4rc6. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
How to detect GHSA-7q5g-gph2-4rc6
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id ghsa-7q5g-gph2-4rc6 -u https://target- Template
- Apache Flink 1.5.1 - Local File Inclusion
- Severity
- high
- Impact
- An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive information, such as configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data stored on the server.
- Remediation
- Upgrade Apache Flink to a version that is not affected by the vulnerability (1.5.2 or later).
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (pdteam), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Fuse 7.9 | flink | RHSA-2021:3140 |
| Red Hat Integration | see advisory | RHSA-2021:3205 |
| Red Hat Integration Camel Quarkus 2 | see advisory | RHSA-2021:3207 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-7q5g-gph2-4rc6 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-7q5g-gph2-4rc6 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.