GHSA-r4v4-5mwr-2fwr
CRITICALGHSA-r4v4-5mwr-2fwr is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) vulnerability in org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-r4v4-5mwr-2fwr is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Improper restriction of the scope of accessible objects in Thymeleaf expressions
Blast Radius
org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf☕org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5☕org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring6Real-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
Impact
A security bypass vulnerability exists in the expression execution mechanisms of Thymeleaf up to and including 3.1.3.RELEASE. Although the library provides mechanisms to prevent expression injection, it fails to properly restrict the scope of accessible objects, allowing specific potentially sensitive objects to be reached from within a template. If an application developer passes unvalidated user input directly to the template engine, an unauthenticated remote attacker can bypass the library's protections to achieve Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI).
Patches
This has been fixed in Thymeleaf 3.1.4.RELEASE.
Workarounds
No workaround is available beyond ensuring applications do not pass unvalidated user input directly to the template engine. Upgrading to 3.1.4.RELEASE is strongly recommended in any case.
Credits
Thanks to Thomas Reburn (Praetorian) for responsible disclosure.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf | all versions | 3.1.4.RELEASE |
| ☕Maven | org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5 | all versions | 3.1.4.RELEASE |
| ☕Maven | org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring6 | all versions | 3.1.4.RELEASE |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf. 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.thymeleaf:thymeleaf to 3.1.4.RELEASE or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-r4v4-5mwr-2fwr 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-r4v4-5mwr-2fwr 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-r4v4-5mwr-2fwr. 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-r4v4-5mwr-2fwr in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-r4v4-5mwr-2fwr across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.