GHSA-p9p4-97g9-wcrh
MEDIUMDev error stack trace leaking into prod in Play Framework
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.typesafe.play:play_2.12☕com.typesafe.play:play_2.13Real-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
Play Framework, when run in dev mode, shows verbose errors for easy debugging, including an exception stack trace. Play does this by configuring its DefaultHttpErrorHandler to do so based on the application mode. In its Scala API Play also provides a static object DefaultHttpErrorHandler that is configured to always show verbose errors. This is used as a default value in some Play APIs, so it is possible to inadvertently use this version in production. It is also possible to improperly configure the DefaultHttpErrorHandler object instance as the injected error handler. Both of these situations could result in verbose errors displaying to users in a production application, which could expose sensitive information from the application.
In particular the constructor for CORSFilter and apply method for CORSActionBuilder use the static object DefaultHttpErrorHandler as a default value.
Patches
This is patched in Play Framework 2.8.16. The DefaultHttpErrorHandler object has been changed to use the prod-mode behavior, and DevHttpErrorHandler has been introduced for the dev-mode behavior.
Workarounds
When constructing a CORSFilter or CORSActionBuilder, ensure that a properly-configured error handler is passed. Generally this should be done by using the HttpErrorHandler instance provided through dependency injection or through Play's BuiltInComponents. Ensure that your application is not using the DefaultHttpErrorHandler static object in any code that may be run in production.
References
https://www.playframework.com/documentation/2.8.x/ScalaErrorHandling#Supplying-a-custom-error-handler https://www.playframework.com/documentation/2.8.x/JavaErrorHandling#Supplying-a-custom-error-handler
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in playframework/playframework
- Email us at [email protected]
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.typesafe.play:play_2.12 | all versions | 2.8.16 |
| ☕Maven | com.typesafe.play:play_2.13 | all versions | 2.8.16 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.typesafe.play:play_2.12. 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.typesafe.play:play_2.12 to 2.8.16 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-p9p4-97g9-wcrh 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-p9p4-97g9-wcrh 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-p9p4-97g9-wcrh. 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-p9p4-97g9-wcrh in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-p9p4-97g9-wcrh across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.