org.neo4j.procedure:apoc Path Traversal Vulnerability

Exploitation

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

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2022-23532: 0.69% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 52.80 (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 A Path Traversal Vulnerability found in the apoc.export. procedures of apoc plugins in Neo4j Graph database. The issue allows a malicious actor to potentially break out of the expected directory. The vulnerability is such that files could only be created but not overwritten. For the vulnerability to be exploited, an attacker would need access to execute an arbitrary query, either by having access to an authenticated Neo4j client, or a Cypher injection vulnerability in an application. The procedure would need to have been allow listed in the neo4j configuration as well as having the apoc config apoc.export.file.enabled set to true. On a UNIX based system the following query allows arbitrary write access to the tmp folder: CALL apoc.export.csv.query('RETURN 1', 'file:///..//..//..//..//tmp/test.txt', {}) Patches The users should aim to use the latest released version compatible with their Neo4j version. The minimum versions containing patch for this vulnerability are 4.4.0.12…

Published by the source

13 Jan 2023, 21:28 UTC

Last modified by the source

24 Jan 2023, 18:06 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:53 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-5v8v-gwmw-qw97

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2022-23532

Advisory: org.neo4j.procedure:apoc Path Traversal Vulnerability
IDs: CVE-2022-23532, GHSA-5v8v-gwmw-qw97
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2022-23532 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:53 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.neo4j.procedure:apoc 4.4.0.12, 4.3.0.12. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.neo4j.procedure:apoc: affected < 4.3.0.12; >= 4.4.0.0, < 4.4.0.12; fixed in 4.3.0.12, 4.4.0.12

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.neo4j.procedure:apoc: 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.neo4j.procedure:apoc.
- 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-5v8v-gwmw-qw97 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-5v8v-gwmw-qw97 lists affected ranges: Maven org.neo4j.procedure:apoc >=0 =4.4.0.0 <4.4.0.12)

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