GHSA-pw5x-2mf9-3xc8 — mantisbt/mantisbt
Fix: mantisbt/mantisbt@029d9d2GHSA-pw5x-2mf9-3xc8 is a CWE-862 vulnerability in mantisbt/mantisbt. A fix is available for mantisbt/mantisbt — see the affected versions and patch details below.
MantisBT has a Private Bugnote Attachment Content Leak via REST API
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-pw5x-2mf9-3xc8.
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.
Real-World Exposure
mantisbt/mantisbtReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A missing authorization check in MantisBT's file visibility function allows any authenticated user (REPORTER+) to download attachments on private bugnotes they should not be able to access, via the REST API endpoint GET /api/rest/issues/{id}/files and SOAP API mc_issue_attachment_get endpoint.
Impact
- REPORTER (access level 25) can view file attachments that were uploaded to private bugnotes by DEVELOPER/MANAGER/ADMIN users
- Private bugnotes are intended for internal developer discussion; their attachments (logs, screenshots, patches) should be equally protected
- The web UI is NOT affected — it filters through bugnote_get_all_visible_bugnotes() first
Patches
- 029d9d203d9e4ae96b3e59d552fa7395cc1e5071
Workarounds
None
Credits
Thanks to the following security researchers for independently discovering and responsibly reporting the issue.
- Vishal Shukla
- Tristan Madani (@TristanInSec) from Talence Security
- Tang Cheuk Hei (@siunam321)
This advisory's contents was largely copied from Tristan's well-written report.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | mantisbt/mantisbt | ≥ 2.23.0&&< 2.28.2 | 2.28.2composer require mantisbt/mantisbt:^2.28.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for mantisbt/mantisbt, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update mantisbt/mantisbt to 2.28.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-pw5x-2mf9-3xc8 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-pw5x-2mf9-3xc8 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-pw5x-2mf9-3xc8. 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-pw5x-2mf9-3xc8 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-pw5x-2mf9-3xc8 across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.