CVE-2025-11965
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn 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').
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceEclipse Vert.x StaticHandler, intended to block access to hidden files (files starting with '.'), fails to restrict access to hidden directories. This allows attackers to traverse to sensitive files within hidden directories like .git/config, .env, or .aws/credentials.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 4.0.0, < 4.5.22>= 5.0.0, < 5.0.5CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Vert.x version in useInspect your project's dependency management file (e.g., pom.xml, build.gradle, package.json) or the vertx-core JAR to find the Eclipse Vert.x version numberAffected if The version falls within >= 4.0.0 and < 4.5.22, OR >= 5.0.0 and < 5.0.5
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Locate StaticHandler usage in codeSearch your codebase for imports and instantiation of io.vertx.ext.web.staticfiles.StaticHandler or calls to Router.router with static file handling methods (e.g., router.route().handler(StaticHandler.create(...)))Affected if StaticHandler is configured to serve static files from your application
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Verify static resource locationExamine the StaticHandler configuration to identify the webRoot, rootPath, or directory serving location - check what directory is being exposed as static contentAffected if Static files are served from a directory that may contain hidden subdirectories (e.g., .git, .env, .aws) that could be accessed via path traversal
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Confirm hidden file blocking is enabledCheck StaticHandler configuration for the default blocking behavior; the vulnerability exists even when the blocking of hidden files (files starting with '.') is intended to be enabled - no special config needed to be vulnerable, the flaw is in the implementationAffected if StaticHandler is actively serving static content; the vulnerability exists in the implementation regardless of specific configuration options
You are affected if your application runs a Vert.x version in the affected ranges and uses StaticHandler to serve static files from a location that could contain accessible hidden directories.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped4.5.225.0.5
Upgrade Vert.x to version 4.5.22 or 5.0.5 or later where the StaticHandler properly blocks access to hidden directories. Alternatively, configure reverse proxy rules to deny access to paths starting with '.'.
Vert.x 4.x -> 4.5.22; Vert.x 5.x -> 5.0.5 (or latest stable in each major version)
- For Vert.x 4.x users: Upgrade to version 4.5.22 or later
- For Vert.x 5.x users: Upgrade to version 5.0.5 or later
- After upgrading, verify that StaticHandler now correctly restricts access to hidden directories (those starting with '.')
- Test that files within hidden directories (e.g., .git/config) are no longer accessible via StaticHandler
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-11965 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-11965 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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