GHSA-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5 — dependency-check-ant
LOWGHSA-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5 is a low-severity (CVSS 3.3) CWE-532 vulnerability in org.owasp:dependency-check-ant. A fix is available for org.owasp:dependency-check-ant — see the affected versions and patch details below.
nvdApiKey is logged in debug mode
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-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5.
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-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5 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 377,333 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.owasp:dependency-check-ant☕org.owasp:dependency-check-cli☕org.owasp:dependency-check-mavenReal-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
The value of nvdApiKey configuration parameter is logged in clear text in debug mode.
Details
The NVD API key is a kind of secret and should be treated like other secrets when logging in debug mode.
Expecting the same behavior as for several password configurations: just print ******
Note that while the NVD API Key is an access token for the NVD API - they are not that sensitive. The only thing an NVD API Token grants is a higher rate limit when making calls to publicly available data. The data available from the NVD API is the same whether you have an API Key or not.
PoC
The nvdApiKey is configured to use an environment variable; when running mvn -X dependency-check:check the clear value is logged twice.
Impact
The NVD API key is a kind of secret and should not be exposed. If stolen, an attacker can use this key to obtain already public information.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.owasp:dependency-check-ant | ≥ 9.0.0&&< 9.0.6 | 9.0.6org.owasp:dependency-check-ant:9.0.6 |
| ☕Maven | org.owasp:dependency-check-cli | ≥ 9.0.0&&< 9.0.6 | 9.0.6org.owasp:dependency-check-cli:9.0.6 |
| ☕Maven | org.owasp:dependency-check-maven | ≥ 9.0.0&&< 9.0.6 | 9.0.6org.owasp:dependency-check-maven:9.0.6 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.owasp:dependency-check-ant, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.owasp:dependency-check-ant to 9.0.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5 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-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5. 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-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-qqhq-8r2c-c3f5 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.