GHSA-f5p9-j34q-pwcc
emp3r0r Affected by Concurrent Map Access DoS (panic/crash)
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
github.com/jm33-m0/emp3r0r/coreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
Multiple shared maps are accessed without consistent synchronization across goroutines. Under concurrent activity, Go runtime can trigger fatal error: concurrent map read and map write, causing C2 process crash (availability loss).
Vulnerable Component(with code examples)
Operator relay map had mixed access patterns (iteration and mutation without a single lock policy):
// vulnerable pattern (operator session map)
for sessionID, op := range OPERATORS { // iteration path
...
}
// concurrent mutation path elsewhere
OPERATORS[operatorSession] = &operator_t{...}
delete(OPERATORS, operatorSession)
Port-forwarding session map had read/write paths guarded inconsistently:
// vulnerable pattern (port forward map)
if sess, ok := PortFwds[id]; ok { // read path
...
}
PortFwds[id] = newSession // write path
delete(PortFwds, id) // delete path
FTP stream map similarly mixed concurrent iteration with mutation:
// vulnerable pattern (FTP stream map)
for token, stream := range FTPStreams { // iteration path
...
}
FTPStreams[token] = stream // write path
delete(FTPStreams, token) // delete path
Attack Vector
- Attacker (or stress traffic in authenticated flows) triggers high concurrency in normal control paths.
- Operator sessions connect/disconnect while message forwarding and file-transfer workflows are active.
- Concurrent read/write hits shared maps.
- Go runtime panics with concurrent map read/write error.
- C2 component exits, producing denial of service.
Proof of Concept
- Start C2 server with active operator session(s) in a lab environment.
- Generate rapid operator session churn (connect/disconnect loops).
- Simultaneously drive agent message tunnel traffic and/or file transfer activity.
- Observe crash signature in logs:
fatal error: concurrent map read and map write. - Optional: run with race detector in dev build to confirm race locations.
Impact
- C2 service interruption due to process panic/crash.
- Operational instability under load or deliberate churn.
- Repeated crash-restart cycles can degrade command reliability and incident response workflows.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/jm33-m0/emp3r0r/core | all versions | 0.0.0-20260212232424-ea4d074f081d |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/jm33-m0/emp3r0r/core. 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 github.com/jm33-m0/emp3r0r/core to 0.0.0-20260212232424-ea4d074f081d or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-f5p9-j34q-pwcc 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-f5p9-j34q-pwcc 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-f5p9-j34q-pwcc. 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-f5p9-j34q-pwcc in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-f5p9-j34q-pwcc across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.