EUVD-2026-70237
GHSA-9x82-rm84-c6x7
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessAuthenticate as DSpace administrator
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DeliveryTarget LDN-enabled endpoint
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ExploitSend crafted COAR Notify/LDN message
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ExecutionChain path traversal to load malicious Velocity template
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PersistInvoke Java via reflection
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code on server
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Code injection prevention, sandbox exec
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires valid DSpace administrator privileges and that the LDN / COAR Notify feature is enabled (ldn.enabled=true), which is NOT the default - LDN is disabled out of the box, so many deployments are not exploitable as configured. The full RCE path further depends on chaining the separate LDN path-traversal vulnerability (GHSA-9qm4-rh6w-pq5x) to load an attacker-controlled Velocity template. Limiting factors: administrator authentication (PR:H), non-default LDN enablement, and the multi-step chaining that raises attack complexity (AC:H). No known exploit path exists via email templates despite Velocity also being used there. |
| Impact | The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.0) tells a consistent story: network-reachable but high-complexity and requiring high privileges (administrator), with a scope change and full CIA impact reflecting host-level code execution. PR:H is the dominant limiting factor - only an existing DSpace administrator can trigger this, which sharply narrows the realistic threat to insiders, compromised admin accounts, or stolen admin credentials. AC:H is justified because the practical attack chains this with a separate path-traversal vulnerability and LDN is disabled by default. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC was provided; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so this is not a mass-exploitation candidate. Net: a genuinely high-impact RCE, but real-world priority is moderated by the admin-privilege requirement and the non-default LDN feature - prioritize for internet-facing repositories that have enabled LDN, lower for the default-configured majority. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has obtained DSpace administrator credentials (via phishing, credential reuse, or an insider) sends a crafted COAR Notify/LDN message to a repository that has LDN enabled. When DSpace renders the message through a Velocity template, the attacker chains the LDN path-traversal flaw to load a malicious template that uses Java reflection to execute arbitrary code on the server. No public POC was provided, but the vendor confirms the reflection-based RCE is achievable when combined with GHSA-9qm4-rh6w-pq5x. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 08, 2026
Remote code execution in DSpace 8.0-8.3 and 9.0-9.2 allows an authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary Java via Velocity templates used to render COAR Notify/LDN messages, using reflection to escape the templating sandbox. Exploitation requires valid DSpace administrator credentials and is most impactful when chained with the related LDN path-traversal flaw (GHSA-9qm4-rh6w-pq5x). No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and CVSS is 8.0 (High).
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade to DSpace 8.4, 9.3, or 10.0 per the official upgrade instructions. If immediate upgrade is not possible, the primary compensating control is to disable LDN by setting ldn.enabled=false in dspace.cfg or local.cfg - this removes all known attack paths and, because LDN is disabled by default, many sites are unaffected already; the trade-off is loss of COAR Notify / LDN interoperability. Alternatively, manually patch the backend using the upstream pull requests (9.x: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/12548 with patch https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/12548.patch; 8.x: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/12549 with patch https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/12549.patch) by running git apply on the patch file from [dspace-src], rebuilding with mvn -U clean package, redeploying with ant update, and restarting Tomcat or the runnable JAR. LDN may safely be re-enabled after patching or upgrading.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 3 packages in maven, euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
DSpace is a Java-based open-source digital repository platform (dspace-api Maven artifact) widely used for institutional and academic repositories. The flaw is a CWE-94 code injection in its use of Apache Velocity, a server-side template engine, to render inbound COAR Notify / Linked Data Notifications (LDN) messages. Velocity templates can reach Java objects, and via reflection an attacker-controlled template can invoke arbitrary Java methods, turning template rendering into arbitrary code execution. This is the same class of issue as Velocity's own CVE-2020-13936 (patched in Velocity 2.3, which DSpace already ships), but here the exposure comes from how DSpace routes LDN content through Velocity rather than from the engine itself. Velocity is also used for email templating, but no attack path via email templates is known.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Admin credentials required (PR:H) and non-default LDN plus chaining with path traversal raise complexity (AC:H); reflection escapes the template sandbox to run host code, giving S:C and full C/I/A:H.
Primary rating from Vendor (https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace).
CVSS VectorVendor: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace
DescriptionCVE.org
Overview
Remote Code Execution (RCE) is possible via Velocity Templates used by DSpace for COAR Notify/LDN messages. _This vulnerability impacts DSpace versions 8.0 <= 8.3, 9.0 <= 9.2._ The attacker MUST already have DSpace administrator credentials in order to perform the attack.
This attack is related to the path traversal attack identified in GHSA-9qm4-rh6w-pq5x as it was the impactful part of the "proof-of-concept" attack chain.
Impact
When chained with the LDN Path Traversal Attack identified in GHSA-9qm4-rh6w-pq5x, it may be possible to execute Java directly from Velocity templates using reflection. This is a very high impact vulnerability, but the attack can only be performed by a user that has DSpace Administrator privileges. Disabling LDN (see below) removes all known attack paths.
Velocity is also used for email templating, but there is no known attack path via emails templates. Nonetheless, the patches below also apply to email templates.
Patches
The fix is included in DSpace 8.4, 9.3 and 10.0. Please upgrade to one of these versions or disable LDN (see below)
If users cannot upgrade immediately, it is possible to manually patch their DSpace backend. (No changes are necessary to the frontend.) A pull request exists which can be used to patch systems running DSpace 8.x or 9.x.
- Pull request for 9.x: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/12548 (Downloadable patch file)
- Pull request for 8.x: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/12549 (Downloadable patch file)
Apply the patch to a DSpace instance
If at all possible, DSpace project maintainers recommend disabling LDN (see below) or upgrading a DSpace site based on the upgrade instructions. However, if users are unable to do so, they can manually apply the above patches to their Space backend as follows:
- Download the appropriate patch file to the machine where DSpace backend is running
- From the
[dspace-src]folder, apply the patch, e.g.git apply [name-of-file].patch - Now, update the application's DSpace site (based loosely on the Upgrade instructions). This generally involves three steps:
- Rebuild DSpace, e.g.
mvn -U clean package(This will recompile all DSpace backend code) - Redeploy DSpace, e.g.
ant update(This will copy all newly built code to the application's installation directory). Depending on an application's setup users also may need to copy the updated "server" webapp over to their Tomcat webapps folder. - Restart Tomcat (or runnable JAR)
Workarounds
- In
dspace.cfgorlocal.cfg, disable LDN (setldn.enabled=false) if it is not crucial to the operation of the repository. (NOTE: LDN is disabled by default, so many DSpace sites may not use this feature) - Once users have patched theirr site or upgraded, they may safely enable LDN again.
Resources
This vulnerability is similar to vulnerabilities reported by Velocity itself:
- Velocity 2.2. CVE: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-13936
- This was patched in Velocity 2.3, and DSpace already includes this patch.
Credits
Discovered & reported by Pablo Picurelli Ortiz (@superpegaso2703), cybersecurity student at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. Reported as a possible attack combined with the LDN Path Traversal vulnerability. Code fix developed by Kim Shepherd (@kshepherd) of The Library Code
Blast Radius
ecosystem impact- 10 maven packages depend on org.dspace:dspace-api (7 direct, 3 indirect)
Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 8.0-rc1.
Executive ViewAI
DSpace institutional repositories (versions 8.0-9.2) are vulnerable to remote code execution by authenticated administrators, enabling malicious or compromised admins to seize full control of the repository system. Organizations face data theft, integrity violations, and operational disruption risks.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
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