Moderate severity vulnerability that affects org.springframework.boot:spring-bootGHSA-xx65-cc7g-9pfp
MEDIUMGHSA-xx65-cc7g-9pfp is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) CWE-59 vulnerability in org.springframework.boot:spring-boot. A fix is available for org.springframework.boot:spring-boot — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
org.springframework.boot:spring-bootReal-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
Spring Boot supports an embedded launch script that can be used to easily run the application as a systemd or init.d linux service. The script included with Spring Boot 1.5.9 and earlier and 2.0.0.M1 through 2.0.0.M7 is susceptible to a symlink attack which allows the "run_user" to overwrite and take ownership of any file on the same system. In order to instigate the attack, the application must be installed as a service and the "run_user" requires shell access to the server. Spring Boot application that are not installed as a service, or are not using the embedded launch script are not susceptible.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.boot:spring-boot | ≥ 1.5.0&&< 1.5.10 | 1.5.10org.springframework.boot:spring-boot:1.5.10 |
Affected Products
spring bootvmwareDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.springframework.boot:spring-boot, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.springframework.boot:spring-boot to 1.5.10 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xx65-cc7g-9pfp 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-xx65-cc7g-9pfp in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.