GHSA-8jpx-m2wh-2v34 is a high-severity (CVSS 8) CWE-74 vulnerability in io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-8jpx-m2wh-2v34 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in dropwizard-validation
Real-World Exposure
io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation☕io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validationReal-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
Summary
A server-side template injection was identified in the self-validating (@SelfValidating) feature of dropwizard-validation enabling attackers to inject arbitrary Java EL expressions, leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability.
If you're using a self-validating bean (via @SelfValidating), an upgrade to Dropwizard 1.3.21/2.0.3 or later is strongly recommended.
The changes introduced in Dropwizard 1.3.19 and 2.0.2 (see GHSA-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf/CVE-2020-5245) unfortunately didn't fix the underlying issue completely.
Impact
This issue may allow Remote Code Execution (RCE), allowing to run arbitrary code on the host system (with the privileges of the Dropwizard service account privileges) by injecting arbitrary Java Expression Language (EL) expressions when using the self-validating feature (@SelfValidating, @SelfValidation) in dropwizard-validation.
Patches
The issue has been fixed in dropwizard-validation 1.3.21 and 2.0.3 or later. We strongly recommend upgrading to one of these versions.
The evaluation of EL expressions has been disabled by default now.
In order to use some interpolation in the violation messages added to ViolationCollector, it has to be explicitly allowed by setting SelfValidating#escapeExpressions() to false.
It is also recommended to use the addViolation methods supporting message parameters instead of EL expressions introduced in Dropwizard 1.3.21 and 2.0.3:
ViolationCollector#addViolation(String, Map<String, Object>ViolationCollector#addViolation(String, String, Map<String, Object>ViolationCollector#addViolation(String, String, Integer, Map<String, Object>ViolationCollector#addViolation(String, String, String, Map<String, Object>
Workarounds
If you are not able to upgrade to one of the aforementioned versions of dropwizard-validation but still want to use the @SelfValidating feature, make sure to properly sanitize any message you're adding to the ViolationCollector in the method annotated with @SelfValidation.
Example:
@SelfValidation
public void validateFullName(ViolationCollector col) {
if (fullName.contains("_")) {
// Sanitize fullName variable by escaping relevant characters such as "$"
col.addViolation("Full name contains invalid characters: " + sanitizeJavaEl(fullName));
}
}
References
- https://github.com/dropwizard/dropwizard/security/advisories/GHSA-3mcp-9wr4-cjqf
- https://github.com/dropwizard/dropwizard/pull/3208
- https://github.com/dropwizard/dropwizard/pull/3209
- https://docs.jboss.org/hibernate/validator/6.1/reference/en-US/html_single/#section-hibernateconstraintvalidatorcontext
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in dropwizard/dropwizard
- Start a discussion on the dropwizard-dev mailing list
Security contact
If you want to responsibly disclose a security issue in Dropwizard or one of its official modules, please contact us via the published channels in our security policy:
https://github.com/dropwizard/dropwizard/security/policy#reporting-a-vulnerability
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation | all versions | 1.3.21 |
| ☕Maven | io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.3 | 2.0.3 |
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 io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation to 1.3.21 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-8jpx-m2wh-2v34 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-8jpx-m2wh-2v34 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-8jpx-m2wh-2v34. 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-8jpx-m2wh-2v34 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-8jpx-m2wh-2v34 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.