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.
Blast Radius
org.testng:testng☕org.testng:testngReal-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
Affected by this vulnerability is the function testngXmlExistsInJar of the file testng-core/src/main/java/org/testng/JarFileUtils.java of the component XML File Parser.
The manipulation leads to path traversal only for .xml, .yaml and .yml files by default. The attack implies running an unsafe test JAR. However since that JAR can also contain executable code itself, the path traversal is unlikely to be the main attack.
Patches
A patch is available in version 7.7.0 at commit 9150736cd2c123a6a3b60e6193630859f9f0422b. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The patch was pushed into the master branch but no releases have yet been made with the patch included.
A backport of the fix is available in [version 7.5.1]((https://github.com/cbeust/testng/releases/tag/7.5.1) for Java 8 projects.
Workaround
- Specify which tests to run when invoking TestNG by configuring them on the CLI or in the build tool controlling the run.
- Do not run tests with untrusted JARs on the classpath, this includes pull requests on open source projects.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.testng:testng | ≥ 6.13&&< 7.5.1 | 7.5.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.testng:testng | ≥ 7.6.0&&< 7.7.0 | 7.7.0 |
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.testng:testng. 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.testng:testng to 7.5.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-rc2q-x9mf-w3vf 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-rc2q-x9mf-w3vf 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-rc2q-x9mf-w3vf. 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-rc2q-x9mf-w3vf in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-rc2q-x9mf-w3vf across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.