GHSA-q4xf-3pmq-3hw8 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.5) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.apache.nifi:nifi. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-q4xf-3pmq-3hw8 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Apache NiFi
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-q4xf-3pmq-3hw8 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% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.nifi:nifiReal-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
In Apache NiFi 1.0.0 to 1.11.4, the notification service manager and various policy authorizer and user group provider objects allowed trusted administrators to inadvertently configure a potentially malicious XML file. The XML file has the ability to make external calls to services (via XXE).
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.nifi:nifi | ≥ 1.0.0&&< 1.12.0-RC1 | 1.12.0-RC1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.nifi:nifi. 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 org.apache.nifi:nifi to 1.12.0-RC1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-q4xf-3pmq-3hw8 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-q4xf-3pmq-3hw8 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-q4xf-3pmq-3hw8. 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-q4xf-3pmq-3hw8 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-q4xf-3pmq-3hw8 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.