StaticHandler disclosure of classpath resources on Windows when mounted on a wildcard route
Summary
When running vertx web applications that serve files using StaticHandler on Windows Operating Systems and Windows File Systems, if the mount point is a wildcard (*) then an attacker can exfiltrate any class path resource.
Details
When computing the relative path to locate the resource, in case of wildcards, the code:
returns the user input (without validation) as the segment to lookup. Even though checks are performed to avoid escaping the sandbox, given that the input was not sanitized \ are not properly handled and an attacker can build a path that is valid within the classpath.
PoC
https://github.com/adrien-aubert-drovio/vertx-statichandler-windows-traversal-path-vulnerability
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | io.vertx:vertx-web | >= 4.0.0, < 4.3.8 | 4.3.8 |
References
- https://github.com/vert-x3/vertx-web/security/advisories/GHSA-53jx-vvf9-4x38
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-24815
- https://github.com/vert-x3/vertx-web/commit/9e3a783b1d1a731055e9049078b1b1494ece9c15
- https://github.com/vert-x3/vertx-web
- https://github.com/vert-x3/vertx-web/blob/62c0d66fa1c179ae6a4d57344631679a2b97e60f/vertx-web/src/main/java/io/vertx/ext/web/impl/Utils.java#L83
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-22- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
io.vertx:vertx-web- Disclosed
- 10.02.2023
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:19
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-53jx-vvf9-4x38 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: io.vertx:vertx-web
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 7
- First → latest
- 10.2018 10.2025
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 2
- High 2
- Medium 2
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2018: 2
- 2019: 0
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 1
- 2022: 1
- 2023: 1
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 2
- 2026: 0
-
StaticHandler disclosure of classpath resources on Windows when mounted on a wildcard route this entry
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