CVE-2025-5878: A vulnerability was found in ESAPI esapi-java-legacy and classified as problematic. This issue affects the interface Encoder.encodeForSQL of the SQL I...

Description

A vulnerability was found in ESAPI esapi-java-legacy and classified as problematic. This issue affects the interface Encoder.encodeForSQL of the SQL Injection Defense. An attack leads to an improper neutralization of special elements. The attack may be initiated remotely and an exploit has been disclosed to the public. The project was contacted early about this issue and handled it with an exceptional level of professionalism. Upgrading to version 2.7.0.0 is able to address this issue. Commit ID f75ac2c2647a81d2cfbdc9c899f8719c240ed512 is disabling the feature by default and any attempt to use it will trigger a warning. And commit ID e2322914304d9b1c52523ff24be495b7832f6a56 is updating the misleading Java class documentation to warn about the risks.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.3/10

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

CVSS 4.0

5.5/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

EPSS Probability

0.40%

31.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

References

Timeline

Published: Jun 29, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Deferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-5878?

A vulnerability was found in ESAPI esapi-java-legacy and classified as problematic. This issue affects the interface Encoder.encodeForSQL of the SQL Injection Defense. An attack leads to an improper neutralization of special elements. The attack may be initiated remotely and an exploit has been disclosed to the public. The project was contacted early about this issue and handled it with an exceptional level of professionalism. Upgrading to version 2.7.0.0 is able to address this issue. Commit ID f75ac2c2647a81d2cfbdc9c899f8719c240ed512 is disabling the feature by default and any attempt to use it will trigger a warning. And commit ID e2322914304d9b1c52523ff24be495b7832f6a56 is updating the misleading Java class documentation to warn about the risks.

How severe is CVE-2025-5878?

CVE-2025-5878 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.40% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2025-5878?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.