Directory exposure in jetty

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

2.7 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2021-28163: 4.18% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 90.93 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Impact If the ${jetty.base} directory or the ${jetty.base}/webapps directory is a symlink (soft link in Linux), the contents of the ${jetty.base}/webapps directory may be deployed as a static web application, exposing the content of the directory for download. For example, the problem manifests in the following ${jetty.base}: Workarounds Do not use a symlink

Published by the source

6 Apr 2021, 17:32 UTC

Last modified by the source

1 Feb 2023, 05:05 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:06 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-j6qj-j888-vvgq

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2021-28163

Advisory: Directory exposure in jetty
IDs: CVE-2021-28163, GHSA-j6qj-j888-vvgq
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2021-28163 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:06 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Low (CVSS 2.7)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy 11.0.2, 10.0.2, 9.4.39. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy: affected >= 9.4.32, < 9.4.39; >= 10.0.0, < 10.0.2; >= 11.0.0, < 11.0.2; fixed in 9.4.39, 11.0.2, 10.0.2

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-j6qj-j888-vvgq (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-j6qj-j888-vvgq lists affected ranges: Maven org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy >=9.4.32 =10.0.0 =11.0.0 <11.0.2)

Commands are suggestions: review each one before running it.