CVE-2022-23457: Esapi Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8m5h-hrqm-pxm2
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-23457 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Esapi libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal in the owasp enterprise security api. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.0.0.

CVE-2022-23457 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-23457
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8m5h-hrqm-pxm2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Esapi
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-23457

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Esapi dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.owasp.esapi:esapi fixed: 2.3.0.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.owasp.esapi</groupId>
    <artifactId>esapi</artifactId>
    <version>2.3.0.0</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.owasp.esapi

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-23457, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.owasp.esapi

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Esapi in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.3.0.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.owasp.esapi command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Esapi, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact The default implementation of `Validator.getValidDirectoryPath(String, String, File, boolean)` may incorrectly treat the tested input string as a child of the specified parent directory. This potentially could allow control-flow bypass checks to be defeated if an attack can specify the entire string representing the 'input' path. ### Patches This vulnerability is patched in release 2.3.0.0 of ESAPI. See https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/releases/tag/esapi-2.3.0.0 for details. ### Workarounds Yes; in theory, one _could_ write the own implementation of the Validator interface. This would most easily be done by sub-classing a version of the affected `DefaultValidator` class and then overriding the affected `getValidDirectoryPath()` to correct the issue. However, this is not recommended. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Email one of the project co-leaders. See email addresses listed on the [OWASP ESAPI wiki](https://owasp.org/www-project-enterprise-security-api/) page, under "Leaders". * Send email to one of the two ESAPI related Google Groups listed under [Where to Find More Information on ESAPI](https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy#where-to-find-more-information-on-esapi) on our [README.md](https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy#readme) page.

CVE-2022-23457 Affected Esapi Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.owasp.esapi:esapi
maven/org.owasp.esapi/esapi
Maven
< 2.3.0.0
2.3.0.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/security/advisories/GHSA-8m5h-hrqm-pxm2
NVD — CVE-2022-23457 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23457
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/commit/a0d67b75593878b1b6e39e2acc1773b3effedb2a
Esapi Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy
Esapi Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/blob/develop/documentation/GHSL-2022-008_The_OWASP_Enterprise_Security_API.md
Esapi Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/blob/develop/documentation/esapi4java-core-2.3.0.0-release-notes.txt
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/07/msg00010.html
Esapi Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230127-0014
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2022-008_The_OWASP_Enterprise_Security_API
Esapi Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23457?
CVE-2022-23457 is a security vulnerability in Esapi involving Path traversal in the OWASP Enterprise Security API under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Esapi versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.0.0 across affected packages: org.owasp.esapi:esapi.
What version fixes CVE-2022-23457?
Upgrading to 2.3.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is esapi affected?
Yes, org.owasp.esapi:esapi is affected in releases prior to 2.3.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-23457?
CVE-2022-23457 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-23457?
CVE-2022-23457 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-23457?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.owasp.esapi'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-8m5h-hrqm-pxm2",
  "modified" : "2025-11-03T22:28:22Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-27T21:09:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-23457" ],
  "summary" : "Path traversal in the OWASP Enterprise Security API",
  "details" : "### Impact\nThe default implementation of `Validator.getValidDirectoryPath(String, String, File, boolean)` may incorrectly treat the tested input string as a child of the specified parent directory. This potentially could allow control-flow bypass checks to be defeated if an attack can specify the entire string representing the 'input' path.\n\n### Patches\nThis vulnerability is patched in release 2.3.0.0 of ESAPI. See https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/releases/tag/esapi-2.3.0.0 for details.\n\n### Workarounds\nYes; in theory, one _could_ write the own implementation of the Validator interface. This would most easily be done by sub-classing a version of the affected `DefaultValidator` class and then overriding the affected `getValidDirectoryPath()` to correct the issue. However, this is not recommended.\n\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Email one of the project co-leaders. See email addresses listed on  the [OWASP ESAPI wiki](https://owasp.org/www-project-enterprise-security-api/) page, under \"Leaders\".\n* Send email to one of the two ESAPI related Google Groups listed under [Where to Find More Information on ESAPI](https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy#where-to-find-more-information-on-esapi) on our [README.md](https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy#readme) page.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.owasp.esapi:esapi"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.0.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.2.3.1"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/security/advisories/GHSA-8m5h-hrqm-pxm2"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23457"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/commit/a0d67b75593878b1b6e39e2acc1773b3effedb2a"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/blob/develop/documentation/GHSL-2022-008_The_OWASP_Enterprise_Security_API.md"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ESAPI/esapi-java-legacy/blob/develop/documentation/esapi4java-core-2.3.0.0-release-notes.txt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/07/msg00010.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230127-0014"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2022-008_The_OWASP_Enterprise_Security_API"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-04-27T21:09:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-04-25T20:15:00Z"
  }
}