GHSA-xjw8-8c5c-9r79
CRITICALGHSA-xjw8-8c5c-9r79 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) Expression Language Injection vulnerability in org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-xjw8-8c5c-9r79 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Improper neutralization of specific syntax patterns for unauthorized expressions in Thymeleaf
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.
Real-World Exposure
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 neutralize specific syntax patterns that allow for the execution of unauthorized expressions. 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 Dawid Bakaj (VIPentest.com) 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-xjw8-8c5c-9r79 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-xjw8-8c5c-9r79 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-xjw8-8c5c-9r79. 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-xjw8-8c5c-9r79 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-xjw8-8c5c-9r79 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.