GHSA-cw6w-q88j-6mqf
CRITICALGHSA-cw6w-q88j-6mqf is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-863 vulnerability in org.apache.cxf:cxf. 6 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-cw6w-q88j-6mqf is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Potential session hijack in Apache CXF
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.cxf:cxf☕org.apache.cxf:cxfReal-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 CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 provides all of the components that are required to build a fully fledged OpenId Connect service. There is a vulnerability in the access token services, where it does not validate that the authenticated principal is equal to that of the supplied clientId parameter in the request. If a malicious client was able to somehow steal an authorization code issued to another client, then they could exploit this vulnerability to obtain an access token for the other client.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cxf:cxf | all versions | 3.2.11 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cxf:cxf | ≥ 3.3.0&&< 3.3.4 | 3.3.4 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Apache CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 provides all of the components that a…
Apache CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 provides all of the components that a…
Apache CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 provides all of the components that a…
Apache CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 provides all of the components that a…
Apache CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 provides all of the components that a…
Apache CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 provides all of the components that a…
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.cxf:cxf. 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 org.apache.cxf:cxf to 3.2.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-cw6w-q88j-6mqf 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-cw6w-q88j-6mqf 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-cw6w-q88j-6mqf. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
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.
In OpenShift Logging the openshift-logging/elasticsearch6-rhel8 container bundles the vulnerable version of apache-cxf, but the vulnerable class is not shipped, hence this component is not affected by this vulnerability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-cw6w-q88j-6mqf in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-cw6w-q88j-6mqf across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.