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CVE-2020-5280

Local file inclusion vulnerability in http4s

7.6 HighFix available

http4s before versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2 has a local file inclusion vulnerability. This vulnerability applies to all users of org.http4s.server.staticcontent.FileService, org.http4s.server.staticcontent.ResourceService and org.http4s.server.staticcontent.WebjarService. URI normalization is applied incorrectly. Requests whose path info contain ../ or // can expose resources outside of the configured location. This issue is patched in versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2. Note that 0.19.0 is a deprecated release and has never been supported.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
Low
User interaction
Required

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

6.98%Up 6.4 points since Apr 14, 2021
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 7.6

Local file inclusion vulnerability in http4s

http4s before versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2 has a local file inclusion vulnerability. This vulnerability applies to all users of org.http4s.server.staticcontent.FileService, org.http4s.server.staticcontent.ResourceService and org.http4s.server.staticcontent.WebjarService. URI normalization is applied incorrectly. Requests whose path info contain ../ or // can expose resources outside of the configured location. This issue is patched in versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2. Note that 0.19.0 is a deprecated release and has never been supported.

Record
CVE-2020-5280
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-23
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-0333 7.6

http4s before versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2 has a local file inclusion vulnerability. This vulnerability applies to all users of org.http4s.server.staticcontent.FileService, org.http4s.server.staticcontent.ResourceService and org.http4s.server.staticcontent.WebjarService. URI normalization is applied incorrectly. Requests whose path info contain ../ or // can expose resources outside of the configured location. This issue is patched in versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2. Note that 0.19.0 is a deprecated release and has never been supported.

Record
EUVD-2020-0333
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-66q9-f7ff-mmx6 7.6

Local file inclusion vulnerability in http4s

Impact

This vulnerability applies to all users of:

  • org.http4s.server.staticcontent.FileService
  • org.http4s.server.staticcontent.ResourceService
  • org.http4s.server.staticcontent.WebjarService

Path escaping

URI normalization is applied incorrectly. Requests whose path info contain ../ or // can expose resources outside of the configured location. Specifically:

  • FileService may expose any file on the local file system.
  • ResourceService may expose any resource on the class path.

Prefix matching

When the service is configured with a non-empty pathPrefix that doesn't end in a slash, any directories whose names are a prefix of systemPath (from FileService) or pathPrefix (from ResourceService) are exposed. For example, if pathPrefix is /foo and systemPath is /bar, a request to /foobaz/quux.txt exposes file /barbaz/quux.txt, when only files beneath /bar should be available.

URI decoding

URI segments are not decoded before resource resolution. This causes resources with reserved characters in their name to incorrectly return a 404. It also may incorrectly expose the rare resource whose name is URI encoded. This applies to FileService, ResourceService, and WebjarService.

Patches

In all three services, paths with an empty segment, a . segment, or a .. segment are now rejected with a 400 Bad Request response. This fixes exposure outside the configured root. Many clients already eliminate dot segments according to the rules in RFC3986, Section 5.2.4. A middleware that does so at the server level may be considered if there is demand.

If pathInfo is non-empty, and does not begin with /, then a 404 response is generated. This fixes the prefix matching exposure.

All path segments are URI decoded before being passed to the file system or resource path. This allows resolution of resources with reserved characters in the name, and prevents incorrect exposure of resources whose names are themselves URI encoded.

Workarounds

The recommended course is to upgrade:

  • v0.18.26, binary compatible with the 0.18.x series
  • v0.20.20, binary compatible with the 0.20.x series
  • v0.21.2, binary compatible with the 0.21.x series

Note that 0.19.0 is a deprecated release and has never been supported.

If an upgrade is impossible:

  • Temporarily copy FileService.scala, ResourceService.scala, and WebjarService.scala from the appropriate release series into your project and recompile with that, changing the package name and reference in your application.
  • Users of a servlet backend can use the servlet container's file serving capabilities.

Credits

Thank you to Thomas Gøytil for the discovery, responsible disclosure, and assistance testing of this vulnerability.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Record
GHSA-66q9-f7ff-mmx6
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-23
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 7.6

http4s before versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2 has a local file inclusion vulnerability. This vulnerability applies to all users of org.http4s.server.staticcontent.FileService, org.http4s.server.staticcontent.ResourceService and org.http4s.server.staticcontent.WebjarService. URI normalization is applied incorrectly. Requests whose path info contain ../ or // can expose resources outside of the configured location. This issue is patched in versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2. Note that 0.19.0 is a deprecated release and has never been supported.

Record
CVE-2020-5280
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Weakness
CWE-23, CWE-22
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.5

http4s before versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2 has a local file inclusion vulnerability. This vulnerability applies to all users of org.http4s.server.staticcontent.FileService, org.http4s.server.staticcontent.ResourceService and org.http4s.server.staticcontent.WebjarService. URI normalization is applied incorrectly. Requests whose path info contain ../ or // can expose resources outside of the configured location. This issue is patched in versions 0.18.26, 0.20.20, and 0.21.2. Note that 0.19.0 is a deprecated release and has never been supported.

Record
CVE-2020-5280
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-66q9-f7ff-mmx6 7.6

Local file inclusion vulnerability in http4s

Impact

This vulnerability applies to all users of:

  • org.http4s.server.staticcontent.FileService
  • org.http4s.server.staticcontent.ResourceService
  • org.http4s.server.staticcontent.WebjarService

Path escaping

URI normalization is applied incorrectly. Requests whose path info contain ../ or // can expose resources outside of the configured location. Specifically:

  • FileService may expose any file on the local file system.
  • ResourceService may expose any resource on the class path.

Prefix matching

When the service is configured with a non-empty pathPrefix that doesn't end in a slash, any directories whose names are a prefix of systemPath (from FileService) or pathPrefix (from ResourceService) are exposed. For example, if pathPrefix is /foo and systemPath is /bar, a request to /foobaz/quux.txt exposes file /barbaz/quux.txt, when only files beneath /bar should be available.

URI decoding

URI segments are not decoded before resource resolution. This causes resources with reserved characters in their name to incorrectly return a 404. It also may incorrectly expose the rare resource whose name is URI encoded. This applies to FileService, ResourceService, and WebjarService.

Patches

In all three services, paths with an empty segment, a . segment, or a .. segment are now rejected with a 400 Bad Request response. This fixes exposure outside the configured root. Many clients already eliminate dot segments according to the rules in RFC3986, Section 5.2.4. A middleware that does so at the server level may be considered if there is demand.

If pathInfo is non-empty, and does not begin with /, then a 404 response is generated. This fixes the prefix matching exposure.

All path segments are URI decoded before being passed to the file system or resource path. This allows resolution of resources with reserved characters in the name, and prevents incorrect exposure of resources whose names are themselves URI encoded.

Workarounds

The recommended course is to upgrade:

  • v0.18.26, binary compatible with the 0.18.x series
  • v0.20.20, binary compatible with the 0.20.x series
  • v0.21.2, binary compatible with the 0.21.x series

Note that 0.19.0 is a deprecated release and has never been supported.

If an upgrade is impossible:

  • Temporarily copy FileService.scala, ResourceService.scala, and WebjarService.scala from the appropriate release series into your project and recompile with that, changing the package name and reference in your application.
  • Users of a servlet backend can use the servlet container's file serving capabilities.

Credits

Thank you to Thomas Gøytil for the discovery, responsible disclosure, and assistance testing of this vulnerability.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Record
GHSA-66q9-f7ff-mmx6
CVSS 3.1
7.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Weakness
CWE-23
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
org.http4s:http4s-server_2.12
Maven
 before 0.18.26
0.18.26
org.http4s:http4s-server_2.12
Maven
 0.19.0 up to 0.20.20
0.20.20
org.http4s:http4s-server_2.12
Maven
 0.21.0 up to 0.21.2
0.21.2
org.http4s:http4s-server_2.12
Maven
 before 0.18.26, plus listed versions
0.10.0-M100.15.00.15.0a0.15.10.15.10
Show 45 moreShow less
0.15.10a0.15.110.15.11a0.15.120.15.12a0.15.130.15.13a0.15.140.15.14a0.15.150.15.15a0.15.160.15.16a0.15.1a0.15.20.15.2a0.15.30.15.3a0.15.40.15.4a0.15.50.15.5a0.15.60.15.6a0.15.70.15.7a0.15.80.15.8a0.15.90.15.9a0.16.00.16.0-M10.16.0-M20.16.0-M30.16.0-RC10.16.0-RC20.16.0-RC30.16.0a0.16.0a-M10.16.0a-M20.16.0a-M30.16.0a-RC10.16.0a-RC20.16.0a-RC30.16.1
0.18.26
org.http4s:http4s-server_2.12
Maven
 0.19.0 up to 0.20.20, plus listed versions
0.20.00.20.0-M10.20.0-M20.20.0-M30.20.0-M4
Show 23 moreShow less
0.20.0-M50.20.0-M60.20.0-M70.20.0-RC10.20.10.20.100.20.110.20.120.20.130.20.140.20.150.20.160.20.170.20.180.20.190.20.20.20.30.20.40.20.50.20.60.20.70.20.80.20.9
0.20.20
org.http4s:http4s-server_2.12
Maven
 0.21.0 up to 0.21.2, plus listed versions
0.21.1
0.21.2

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2020-5280 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.6) in Http4s, published March 25, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 6.98%, the 94th percentile. Fixed in org.http4s:http4s-server_2.12 0.18.26.

References

This page doesn't list everything

Left out here: 59 versions. The JSON record has them.

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