CVE-2025-11965 Vert.x-Web Access Control Flaw in StaticHandler’s Hidden File Protection for Files Under Hidden Directories
Attackers can access files in hidden directories like .git/config if StaticHandler is configured to block hidden files but not directories.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-11965?
CVE-2025-11965 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Eclipse Foundation Vert.x, published on 22 Oct 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In Eclipse Vert.x versions [4.0.0, 4.5.21] and [5.0.0, 5.0.4], a StaticHandler configuration for restricting access to hidden files fails to restrict access to hidden directories, allowing unauthorized users to retrieve files within them (e.g. '.git/config').
Weakness: CWE-552
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-11965?
4 open source packages ship an affected version, including io.vertx:vertx-web. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
io.vertx:vertx-web Maven | All versions | 4.5.22 |
io.vertx:vertx-web Maven | All versions | 4.5.22 |
io.vertx:vertx-web Maven | From 5.0.0 | 5.0.5 |
io.vertx:vertx-web Maven | From 5.0.0 | 5.0.5 |
Products include Eclipse Vert.x.
How do I fix CVE-2025-11965?
Upgrade io.vertx:vertx-web to a fixed version for your release line: 4.5.22 or 5.0.5.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2025-11965 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-11965 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in Eclipse Foundation Vert.x
- CVE-2019-17640 Path Traversal in Eclipse Vert
- CVE-2018-12542 Eclipse Vert.x does not properly neutralize '' (forward slashes) sequences that can resolve to an external location
- CVE-2018-12544 Moderate severity vulnerability that affects io.vertx:vertx-core
- CVE-2026-102469 Deserialization in Eclipse Vert.x
- CVE-2018-12540 High severity vulnerability that affects io.vertx:vertx-web
Sources
Also known as CLEANSTART-2026-HQ10523, CLEANSTART-2026-NB67850, CLEANSTART-2026-WF23391, ECHO-7ccb-ff37-0c34, GHSA-h5fg-jpgr-rv9c, MINI-5x3w-gv5r-ggw3 and 5 more.