GHSA-x7cr-6qr6-2hh6 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.3) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in composer/composer. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-x7cr-6qr6-2hh6 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Missing input validation can lead to command execution in composer
Real-World Exposure
composer/composer🐘composer/composer🐘composer/composerReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The Composer method VcsDriver::getFileContent() with user-controlled $file or $identifier arguments is susceptible to an argument injection vulnerability. It can be leveraged to gain arbitrary command execution if the Mercurial or the Git driver are used.
This led to a vulnerability on Packagist.org and Private Packagist, i.e., using the composer.json readme field as a vector for injecting parameters into the $file argument for the Mercurial driver or via the $identifier argument for the Git and Mercurial drivers.
Composer itself can be attacked through branch names by anyone controlling a Git or Mercurial repository, which is explicitly listed by URL in a project's composer.json.
To the best of our knowledge, this was not actively exploited. The vulnerability has been patched on Packagist.org and Private Packagist within a day of the vulnerability report.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | composer/composer | all versions | 1.10.26 |
| 🐘Packagist | composer/composer | ≥ 2.0&&< 2.2.12 | 2.2.12 |
| 🐘Packagist | composer/composer | ≥ 2.3&&< 2.3.5 | 2.3.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for composer/composer. 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 composer/composer to 1.10.26 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x7cr-6qr6-2hh6 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-x7cr-6qr6-2hh6 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-x7cr-6qr6-2hh6. 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-x7cr-6qr6-2hh6 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-x7cr-6qr6-2hh6 across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.