---
title: "CVE-2024-5986: H2O has an External Control of File Name or Path vulnerability"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2024-5986/
description: "CVE-2024-5986 (ai.h2o:h2o-core (Maven)): A vulnerability in h2oai/h2o-3 version 3.46.0.1 allows remote attackers to write arbitrary data to any file on the…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2026-02-02
date_modified: 2026-02-02
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2024-5986"
kev: false
cvss: 9.1
epss: 0.00714
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2024-5986: H2O has an External Control of File Name or Path vulnerability

**Signal:** Critical and remotely reachable. No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 0.7% , percentile 53: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 53% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes ai.h2o:h2o-core (Maven) <= 3.46.0.1, no fixed version listed ; h2o (PyPI) <= 3.46.0.1, no fixed version listed . Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

## What it is

A vulnerability in h2oai/h2o-3 version 3.46.0.1 allows remote attackers to write arbitrary data to any file on the server. This is achieved by exploiting the /3/Parse endpoint to inject attacker-controlled data as the header of an empty file, which is then exported using the /3/Frames/framename/export endpoint. The impact of this vulnerability includes the potential for remote code execution and complete access to the system running h2o-3, as attackers can overwrite critical files such as private SSH keys or script files.

## Affected packages

- Maven `ai.h2o:h2o-core` <= 3.46.0.1 → fixed: none listed
- PyPI `h2o` <= 3.46.0.1 → fixed: none listed

## Affected products (CVE record)

- h2oai h2oai/h2o-3: unspecified <= latest

## Severity

- @huntr_ai CVSS 3.0: 9.1 `CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H`
- GitHub CVSS 3.1: 9.1 `CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H`

## Exploitation

- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none , automatable yes , technical impact total .
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.71% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 53.

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-wj3h-wx8g-x699](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wj3h-wx8g-x699)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2024-5986](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-5986)
- [NVD entry CVE-2024-5986](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-5986)
- [huntr.com](https://huntr.com/bounties/64ff5319-6ac3-4447-87f7-b53495d4d5a3)

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Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2024-5986/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt