GHSA-w5gq-xrrp-3fxf is a high-severity (CVSS 8.2) Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in org.opennms:opennms-webapp-rest. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.opennms:opennms-webapp-rest — see the affected versions and patch details below.
OpenNMS privilege elevation vulnerability
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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-w5gq-xrrp-3fxf.
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-w5gq-xrrp-3fxf 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 377,166 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.opennms:opennms-webapp-restReal-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
The Horizon REST API includes a users endpoint in OpenNMS Horizon 31.0.8 and versions earlier than 32.0.2 on multiple platforms is vulnerable to elevation of privilege. The solution is to upgrade to Meridian 2023.1.6, 2022.1.19, 2021.1.30, 2020.1.38 or Horizon 32.0.2 or newer. Meridian and Horizon installation instructions state that they are intended for installation within an organization's private networks and should not be directly accessible from the Internet.
OpenNMS thanks Erik Wynter for reporting this issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.opennms:opennms-webapp-rest | ≥ 31.0.8&&< 32.0.2 | 32.0.2org.opennms:opennms-webapp-rest:32.0.2 |
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.opennms:opennms-webapp-rest, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.opennms:opennms-webapp-rest to 32.0.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-w5gq-xrrp-3fxf 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-w5gq-xrrp-3fxf can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-w5gq-xrrp-3fxf. 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-w5gq-xrrp-3fxf in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-w5gq-xrrp-3fxf across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.