GHSA-8rmh-55h4-93h5 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.2) Path Traversal vulnerability in org.dspace:dspace-api. A fix is available for org.dspace:dspace-api — see the affected versions and patch details below.
DSpace ItemImportService API Vulnerable to Path Traversal in Simple Archive Format Package Import
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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-8rmh-55h4-93h5.
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-8rmh-55h4-93h5 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
org.dspace:dspace-api☕org.dspace:dspace-apiReal-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
Impact
ItemImportServiceImpl is vulnerable to a path traversal vulnerability. This means a malicious SAF (simple archive format) package could cause a file/directory to be created anywhere the Tomcat/DSpace user can write to on the server. However, this path traversal vulnerability is only possible by a user with special privileges (either Administrators or someone with command-line access to the server). This vulnerability impacts the XMLUI, JSPUI and command-line.
This vulnerability does NOT impact 7.x.
Patches
DSpace 6.x:
- Fixed in 6.4 via commit: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/7af52a0883a9dbc475cf3001f04ed11b24c8a4c0
- 6.x patch file: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/7af52a0883a9dbc475cf3001f04ed11b24c8a4c0.patch (may be applied manually if an immediate upgrade to 6.4 or 7.x is not possible)
DSpace 5.x:
- Fixed in 5.11 via commit: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/56e76049185bbd87c994128a9d77735ad7af0199
- 5.x patch file: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/56e76049185bbd87c994128a9d77735ad7af0199.patch (may be applied manually if an immediate upgrade to 5.11 or 6.4 or 7.x is not possible)
Apply the patch to your DSpace
If at all possible, we recommend upgrading your DSpace site based on the upgrade instructions. However, if you are unable to do so, you can manually apply the above patches as follows:
- Download the appropriate patch file to the machine where DSpace is running
- From the
[dspace-src]folder, apply the patch, e.g.git apply [name-of-file].patch - Now, update your DSpace site (based loosely on the Upgrade instructions). This generally involves three steps:
- Rebuild DSpace, e.g.
mvn -U clean package(This will recompile all DSpace code) - Redeploy DSpace, e.g.
ant update(This will copy all updated WARs / configs to your installation directory). Depending on your setup you also may need to copy the updated WARs over to your Tomcat webapps folder. - Restart Tomcat
- Rebuild DSpace, e.g.
Workarounds
As a basic workaround, you may block all access to the following URL paths:
- If you are using the XMLUI, block all access to
/admin/batchimportpath (this is the URL of the Admin Batch Import tool). Keep in mind, if your site uses the path "/xmlui", then you'd need to block access to/xmlui/admin/batchimport. - If you are using the JSPUI, block all access to
/dspace-admin/batchimportpath (this is the URL of the Admin Batch Import tool). Keep in mind, if your site uses the path "/jspui", then you'd need to block access to/jspui/dspace-admin/batchimport.
Keep in mind, only an Administrative user or a user with command-line access to the server is able to import/upload SAF packages. Therefore, assuming those users do not blindly upload untrusted SAF packages, then it is unlikely your site could be impacted by this vulnerability.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.dspace:dspace-api | ≥ 4.0&&< 5.11 | 5.11org.dspace:dspace-api:5.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.dspace:dspace-api | ≥ 6.0&&< 6.4 | 6.4org.dspace:dspace-api:6.4 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.dspace:dspace-api, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.dspace:dspace-api to 5.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-8rmh-55h4-93h5 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-8rmh-55h4-93h5 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-8rmh-55h4-93h5. 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-8rmh-55h4-93h5 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-8rmh-55h4-93h5 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.