CVE-2025-53622
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 · uneditedDSpace open source software is a repository application which provides durable access to digital resources. Prior to versions 7.6.4, 8.2, and 9.1, a path traversal vulnerability is possible during the import of an archive (in Simple Archive Format), either from command-line (`./dspace import` command) or from the "Batch Import (Zip)" user interface feature. An attacker may craft a malicious Simple Archive Format (SAF) package where the `contents` file references any system files (using relative traversal sequences) which are readable by the Tomcat user. If such a package is imported, this will result in sensitive content disclose, including retrieving arbitrary files or configurations from the server where DSpace is running. The Simple Archive Format (SAF) importer / Batch Import (Zip) is only usable by site administrators (from user interface / REST API) or system administrators (from command-line). Therefore, to exploit this vulnerability, the malicious payload would have to be provided by an attacker and trusted by an administrator (who would trigger the import). The fix is included in DSpace 7.6.4, 8.2 and 9.1. For those who cannot upgrade immediately, it is possible to manually patch the DSpace backend. (No changes are necessary to the frontend.) A pull request exists which can be used to patch systems running DSpace 7.6.x, 8.x or 9.0. Although it is not possible to fully protect the system via workarounds, one may can apply a best practice. Administrators must carefully inspect any SAF archives (they did not construct themselves) before importing, paying close attention to the `contents` file to validate it does not reference files outside of the SAF archives.
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 analysisA file path is built from user input without being confined, so sequences like “../” let an attacker step outside the intended directory. That can expose configuration, credentials, or source code, and in the worst case lets an attacker write files where they shouldn't. A durable fix resolves and canonicalises the path, then rejects anything that escapes a known-safe base directory.
General guidance for the path traversal class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L
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 · scopedDSpace 7.6.4, 8.2, or 9.1 depending on current major version
- Identify current DSpace version by checking the installation or pom.xml
- Determine appropriate target version: upgrade to 7.6.4 (if on 7.6.x), 8.2 (if on 8.x), or 9.1 (if on 9.0)
- Backup the DSpace database and all configuration files
- Stop the DSpace application and Tomcat services
- Follow the official DSpace upgrade documentation for the target version
- For DSpace 7.6.x: apply changes from PR #11036 (https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/11036) if upgrading is not immediately possible
- Start the application and verify the import functionality works correctly
- Validate that the path traversal vulnerability is remediated by testing imports with traversal sequences
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-53622 — 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-2025-53622 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data