GHSA-f5cx-h789-j959
PowSyBl Core allows deserialization of untrusted SparseMatrix data
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.
Blast Radius
com.powsybl:powsybl-mathReal-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
What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?
This is a disclosure for a security vulnerability in the SparseMatrix class. The vulnerability is a deserialization issue that
can lead to a wide range of privilege escalations depending on the circumstances. The problematic area is the read method
of the SparseMatrix class.
This method takes in an InputStream and returns a SparseMatrix object. We consider this to be a method that can be
exposed to untrusted input in at least two use cases:
- A user can adopt this method in an application where users can submit an
InputStreamand the application parses it into aSparseMatrix. This can be a multi-tenant application that hosts many different users perhaps with different privilege levels. - A user adopts the method for a local tool but receives the
InputStreamfrom external sources.
Am I impacted?
You are vulnerable if you import non-controlled serialized SparseMatrix objects.
Patches
com.powsybl:powsybl-math:6.7.2 and higher
Workarounds
Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?
Do not use SparseMatrix deserialization (SparseMatrix.read(...) methods).
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.powsybl:powsybl-math | ≥ 6.3.0&&< 6.7.2 | 6.7.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.powsybl:powsybl-math. 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 com.powsybl:powsybl-math to 6.7.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-f5cx-h789-j959 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-f5cx-h789-j959 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-f5cx-h789-j959. 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-f5cx-h789-j959 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-f5cx-h789-j959 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.