GHSA-jqh6-9574-5x22 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.1) Path Traversal vulnerability in ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
MITM based Zip Slip in `ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core`
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-jqh6-9574-5x22.
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-jqh6-9574-5x22 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
ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.convertors☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r4b☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r5☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.utilities☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.validationReal-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
MITM can enable Zip-Slip.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability 1: Scanner.java
There is no validation that the zip file being unpacked has entries that are not maliciously writing outside of the intended destination directory. https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/8c43e21094af971303131efd081503e5a112db4b/org.hl7.fhir.validation/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/validation/Scanner.java#L335-L357
This zip archive is downloaded over HTTP instead of HTTPS, leaving it vulnerable to compromise in-flight. https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/8c43e21094af971303131efd081503e5a112db4b/org.hl7.fhir.validation/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/validation/Scanner.java#L136
Vulnerability 2: TerminologyCacheManager.java
Note: While these links point to only one implementation, both implementations of TerminologyCacheManager.java are vulnerable to this as their code seems to be duplicated.
- https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/terminologies/TerminologyCacheManager.java
- https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.r4b/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r4b/terminologies/TerminologyCacheManager.java
While there is validation in this bit of logic that attempts to validate that the zip file doesn't contain malicious entries that escape the destination directory, the guard is insufficient.
This is because the Utilities.path(String... path) method does not normalize the path, although it seems to be attempting to do so.
https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/Utilities.java#L617-L675
The normalization only occurs if the path element starts with a path traversal payload. As an example, calling Utilities.path("/base", "/child/../test") will return the string "/base/child/../test".
This guard logic can, thus, be easily bypassed: https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/terminologies/TerminologyCacheManager.java#L100-L104
Assuming an attacker can control the return value of ze.getName(), they can supply a value like /anything/../../../../zipsip-protection-bypass.txt.
Similarly, an attacker can control the contents of the Zip file via a MITM attack as this logic is used with resources not downloaded over HTTPS.
Patches
Unknown
Workarounds
Unknown
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core | all versions | 5.6.92ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core:5.6.92 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.convertors | all versions | 5.6.92ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.convertors:5.6.92 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r4b | all versions | 5.6.92ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r4b:5.6.92 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r5 | all versions | 5.6.92ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r5:5.6.92 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.utilities | all versions | 5.6.92ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.utilities:5.6.92 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.validation | all versions | 5.6.92ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.validation:5.6.92 |
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 ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core to 5.6.92 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-jqh6-9574-5x22 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-jqh6-9574-5x22 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-jqh6-9574-5x22. 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-jqh6-9574-5x22 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-jqh6-9574-5x22 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.