GHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm is a medium-severity (CVSS 5) Path Traversal vulnerability in nodebb. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
NodeBB vulnerable to path traversal in translator module
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-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm 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 0 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
nodebbnpmDescription
Impact
Prior to v1.18.5, a path traversal vulnerability was present that allowed users to access JSON files outside of the expected languages/ directory.
Patches
The vulnerability has been patched as of v1.18.5.
Workarounds
Cherry-pick commit hash c8b2fc46dc698db687379106b3f01c71b80f495f to receive this patch in lieu of a full upgrade.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | nodebb | ≥ 1.0.4&&< 1.18.5 | 1.18.5 |
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 nodebb. 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 nodebb to 1.18.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm 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-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm 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-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm. 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-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-pfj7-2qfw-vwgm across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.