GHSA-wjw6-2cqr-j4qr
HIGHClient metadata path-traversal
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
tufReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
In both clients (tuf/client and tuf/ngclient), there is a path traversal vulnerability that in the worst case can overwrite files ending in .json anywhere on the client system on a call to get_one_valid_targetinfo(). It occurs because the rolename is used to form the filename, and may contain path traversal characters (ie ../../name.json).
The impact is mitigated by a few facts:
- It only affects implementations that allow arbitrary rolename selection for delegated targets metadata
- The attack requires the ability to A) insert new metadata for the path-traversing role and B) get the role delegated by an existing targets metadata
- The written file content is heavily restricted since it needs to be a valid, signed targets file. The file extension is always .json.
Patches
A fix is available in version 0.19 or newer.
Workarounds
None that do not require code changes. Clients can restrict the allowed character set for rolenames, or they can store metadata in files named in a way that is not vulnerable: neither of these approaches is possible without modifying python-tuf.
References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in python-tuf
- Contact the maintainers by email or Slack
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | tuf | all versions | 0.19.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for tuf. 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 tuf to 0.19.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-wjw6-2cqr-j4qr 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-wjw6-2cqr-j4qr 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-wjw6-2cqr-j4qr. 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-wjw6-2cqr-j4qr in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-wjw6-2cqr-j4qr across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.