Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-22

Weakness Allowed-with-Review

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory

Abstraction: Base · Status: Stable

The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

Many file operations are intended to take place within a restricted directory. By using special elements such as ".." and "/" separators, attackers can escape outside of the restricted location to access files or directories that are elsewhere on the system. One of the most common special elements is the "../" sequence, which in most modern operating systems is interpreted as the parent directory of the current location. This is referred to as relative path traversal. Path traversal also covers the use of absolute pathnames such as "/usr/local/bin" to access unexpected files. This is referred to as absolute path traversal.

Mapping guidance

This CWE entry might have children that would be more appropriate.

Examine children of this entry to see if there is a better fit. Consider children such as CWE-23 (or its descendants) for relative path traversal, or CWE-36 for absolute path traversal.

Relationships and members
ChildOf: CWE-706 · View CWE-1000
ChildOf: CWE-706 · View CWE-1003
CanPrecede: CWE-668 · View CWE-1000
Modes of introduction
Implementation
Detection methods

Automated Static Analysis

Automated techniques can find areas where path traversal weaknesses exist. However, tuning or customization may be required to remove or de-prioritize path-traversal problems that are only exploitable by the product's administrator - or other privileged users - and thus potentially valid behavior or, at worst, a bug instead of a vulnerability.

Effectiveness: High

Manual Static Analysis

Manual white box techniques may be able to provide sufficient code coverage and reduction of false positives if all file access operations can be assessed within limited time constraints.

Effectiveness: High

Automated Static Analysis - Binary or Bytecode

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful:

Highly cost effective:

Bytecode Weakness Analysis - including disassembler + source code weakness analysis

Cost effective for partial coverage:

Binary Weakness Analysis - including disassembler + source code weakness analysis

Effectiveness: High

Manual Static Analysis - Binary or Bytecode

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful:

Cost effective for partial coverage:

Binary / Bytecode disassembler - then use manual analysis for vulnerabilities & anomalies

Effectiveness: SOAR Partial

Dynamic Analysis with Automated Results Interpretation

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful:

Highly cost effective:

Web Application Scanner

Web Services Scanner

Database Scanners

Effectiveness: High

Dynamic Analysis with Manual Results Interpretation

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful:

Highly cost effective:

Fuzz Tester

Framework-based Fuzzer

Effectiveness: High

Manual Static Analysis - Source Code

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful:

Highly cost effective:

Manual Source Code Review (not inspections)

Cost effective for partial coverage:

Focused Manual Spotcheck - Focused manual analysis of source

Effectiveness: High

Automated Static Analysis - Source Code

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful:

Highly cost effective:

Source code Weakness Analyzer

Context-configured Source Code Weakness Analyzer

Effectiveness: High

Architecture or Design Review

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful:

Highly cost effective:

Formal Methods / Correct-By-Construction

Cost effective for partial coverage:

Inspection (IEEE 1028 standard) (can apply to requirements, design, source code, etc.)

Effectiveness: High

Notes

Other

In many programming languages, the injection of a null byte (the 0 or NUL) may allow an attacker to truncate a generated filename to apply to a wider range of files. For example, the product may add ".txt" to any pathname, thus limiting the attacker to text files, but a null injection may effectively remove this restriction.

Relationship

Pathname equivalence can be regarded as a type of canonicalization error.

Relationship

Some pathname equivalence issues are not directly related to directory traversal, rather are used to bypass security-relevant checks for whether a file/directory can be accessed by the attacker (e.g. a trailing "/" on a filename could bypass access rules that don't expect a trailing /, causing a server to provide the file when it normally would not).

Terminology

Like other weaknesses, terminology is often based on the types of manipulations used, instead of the underlying weaknesses. Some people use "directory traversal" only to refer to the injection of ".." and equivalent sequences whose specific meaning is to traverse directories.

Other variants like "absolute pathname" and "drive letter" have the *effect* of directory traversal, but some people may not call it such, since it doesn't involve ".." or equivalent.

Research Gap

Many variants of path traversal attacks are probably under-studied with respect to root cause. CWE-790 and CWE-182 begin to cover part of this gap.

Research Gap

Incomplete diagnosis or reporting of vulnerabilities can make it difficult to know which variant is affected. For example, a researcher might say that "..\" is vulnerable, but not test "../" which may also be vulnerable.

Any combination of directory separators ("/", "\", etc.) and numbers of "." (e.g. "....") can produce unique variants; for example, the "//../" variant is not listed (CVE-2004-0325). See this entry's children and lower-level descendants.

Content history
Submission: PLOVER · 2006-07-19 · CWE Draft 3
Contribution: Nick Johnston · 2022-07-11 · CWE 4.9

Identified weakness in Perl demonstrative example

Contribution: Abhi Balakrishnan · 2024-02-29 · CWE 4.15

Provided diagram to improve CWE usability

Contribution: Drew Buttner · MITRE · 2024-11-01 · CWE 4.16

Identified weakness in "good code" for Python demonstrative example

Contribution: Affan Ahmed · 2025-02-08 · CWE 4.20

Provided a demonstrative example in PHP

Modification: Eric Dalci · Cigital · 2008-07-01 · CWE 1.0

updated Potential_Mitigations, Time_of_Introduction

Modification: · Veracode · 2008-08-15 · CWE 1.0

Suggested OWASP Top Ten 2004 mapping

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2008-09-08 · CWE 1.0

updated Alternate_Terms, Relationships, Other_Notes, Relationship_Notes, Relevant_Properties, Taxonomy_Mappings, Weakness_Ordinalities

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2008-10-14 · CWE 1.0.1

updated Description

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2008-11-24 · CWE 1.1

updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2009-07-27 · CWE 1.5

updated Potential_Mitigations

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2010-02-16 · CWE 1.8

updated Alternate_Terms, Applicable_Platforms, Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Description, Detection_Factors, Likelihood_of_Exploit, Name, Observed_Examples, Other_Notes, Potential_Mitigations, References, Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationship_Notes, Relationships, Research_Gaps, Taxonomy_Mappings, Terminology_Notes, Time_of_Introduction, Weakness_Ordinalities

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2010-06-21 · CWE 1.9

updated Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Description, Detection_Factors, Potential_Mitigations, References, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2010-09-27 · CWE 1.10

updated Potential_Mitigations

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2010-12-13 · CWE 1.11

updated Potential_Mitigations

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2011-03-29 · CWE 1.12

updated Potential_Mitigations

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2011-06-27 · CWE 2.0

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2011-09-13 · CWE 2.1

updated Potential_Mitigations, References, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2012-05-11 · CWE 2.2

updated Demonstrative_Examples, References, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2012-10-30 · CWE 2.3

updated Potential_Mitigations

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2013-02-21 · CWE 2.4

updated Observed_Examples

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2013-07-17 · CWE 2.5

updated Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2014-06-23 · CWE 2.7

updated Other_Notes, Research_Gaps

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2014-07-30 · CWE 2.8

updated Detection_Factors, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2015-12-07 · CWE 2.9

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2017-01-19 · CWE 2.10

updated Related_Attack_Patterns

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2017-05-03 · CWE 2.11

updated Demonstrative_Examples

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2017-11-08 · CWE 3.0

updated Affected_Resources, Causal_Nature, Likelihood_of_Exploit, References, Relationships, Relevant_Properties, Taxonomy_Mappings

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2018-03-27 · CWE 3.1

updated References, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2019-01-03 · CWE 3.2

updated References, Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2019-06-20 · CWE 3.3

updated Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships, Type

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2019-09-19 · CWE 3.4

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2020-02-24 · CWE 4.0

updated Potential_Mitigations, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2020-06-25 · CWE 4.1

updated Demonstrative_Examples, Potential_Mitigations

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2020-08-20 · CWE 4.2

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2020-12-10 · CWE 4.3

updated Potential_Mitigations, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2021-03-15 · CWE 4.4

updated Demonstrative_Examples, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2021-07-20 · CWE 4.5

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2021-10-28 · CWE 4.6

updated Observed_Examples, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2022-06-28 · CWE 4.8

updated Observed_Examples, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2022-10-13 · CWE 4.9

updated Observed_Examples, References

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-01-31 · CWE 4.10

updated Common_Consequences, Description, Detection_Factors

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-04-27 · CWE 4.11

updated Demonstrative_Examples, References, Relationships, Time_of_Introduction

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-06-29 · CWE 4.12

updated Mapping_Notes, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-10-26 · CWE 4.13

updated Observed_Examples

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2024-07-16 · CWE 4.15

updated Common_Consequences, Description, Diagram, Observed_Examples, Other_Notes, References

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2024-11-19 · CWE 4.16

updated Demonstrative_Examples, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2025-04-03 · CWE 4.17

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2025-09-09 · CWE 4.18

updated Applicable_Platforms, Detection_Factors, Observed_Examples, Potential_Mitigations, References

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2025-12-11 · CWE 4.19

updated Mapping_Notes, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2026-04-30 · CWE 4.20

updated Alternate_Terms, Applicable_Platforms, Demonstrative_Examples, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2026-10-28 · CWE 5.0

updated Applicable_Platforms, Common_Consequences, Name, References, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

16162 vulnerabilities reference this CWE, most recent first.

GHSA-9HGQ-Q6VW-9852

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-14 02:19 – Updated: 2022-05-14 02:19
VLAI
Details

An issue was discovered in SeaCMS through 6.61. adm1n/admin_database.php allows remote attackers to delete arbitrary files via directory traversal sequences in the bakfiles parameter. This can allow the product to be reinstalled by deleting install_lock.txt.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2018-16446"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2018-09-04T04:29:00Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "An issue was discovered in SeaCMS through 6.61. adm1n/admin_database.php allows remote attackers to delete arbitrary files via directory traversal sequences in the bakfiles parameter. This can allow the product to be reinstalled by deleting install_lock.txt.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hgq-q6vw-9852",
  "modified": "2022-05-14T02:19:18Z",
  "published": "2022-05-14T02:19:18Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16446"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/MichaelWayneLIU/seacms/blob/master/seacms5.md"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ]
}

GHSA-9HJJ-M2FC-F62R

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2023-03-22 00:30 – Updated: 2023-03-24 21:30
VLAI
Details

A path traversal exists when processing a message of type 8 in Rockwell Automation's ThinManager ThinServer. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability to download arbitrary files on the disk drive where ThinServer.exe is installed.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2023-27856"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2023-03-22T00:15:00Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "A path traversal exists when processing a message of type 8 in Rockwell Automation\u0027s ThinManager ThinServer. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability to download arbitrary files on the disk drive where ThinServer.exe is installed.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hjj-m2fc-f62r",
  "modified": "2023-03-24T21:30:48Z",
  "published": "2023-03-22T00:30:20Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-27856"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1138640"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ]
}

GHSA-9HM3-CHGJ-45RM

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2023-10-18 06:30 – Updated: 2025-11-04 00:30
VLAI
Details

Various node:fs functions allow specifying paths as either strings or Uint8Array objects. In Node.js environments, the Buffer class extends the Uint8Array class. Node.js prevents path traversal through strings (see CVE-2023-30584) and Buffer objects (see CVE-2023-32004), but not through non-Buffer Uint8Array objects.

This is distinct from CVE-2023-32004 (report 2038134), which only referred to Buffer objects. However, the vulnerability follows the same pattern using Uint8Array instead of Buffer.

Impacts:

This vulnerability affects all users using the experimental permission model in Node.js 20.

Please note that at the time this CVE was issued, the permission model is an experimental feature of Node.js.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2023-39332"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2023-10-18T04:15:11Z",
    "severity": "CRITICAL"
  },
  "details": "Various `node:fs` functions allow specifying paths as either strings or `Uint8Array` objects. In Node.js environments, the `Buffer` class extends the `Uint8Array` class. Node.js prevents path traversal through strings (see CVE-2023-30584) and `Buffer` objects (see CVE-2023-32004), but not through non-`Buffer` `Uint8Array` objects.\n\nThis is distinct from CVE-2023-32004 ([report 2038134](https://hackerone.com/reports/2038134)), which only referred to `Buffer` objects. However, the vulnerability follows the same pattern using `Uint8Array` instead of `Buffer`.\n\nImpacts:\n\nThis vulnerability affects all users using the experimental permission model in Node.js 20.\n\nPlease note that at the time this CVE was issued, the permission model is an experimental feature of Node.js.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hm3-chgj-45rm",
  "modified": "2025-11-04T00:30:40Z",
  "published": "2023-10-18T06:30:30Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-39332"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://hackerone.com/reports/2199818"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/3N4NJ7FR4X4FPZUGNTQAPSTVB2HB2Y4A"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FNA62Q767CFAFHBCDKYNPBMZWB7TWYVU"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LKYHSZQFDNR7RSA7LHVLLIAQMVYCUGBG"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231116-0009"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241108-0002"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ]
}

GHSA-9HPM-43CM-XVR6

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-02 00:10 – Updated: 2022-05-02 00:10
VLAI
Details

Directory traversal vulnerability in notes.php in Phlatline's Personal Information Manager (pPIM) 1.01 allows remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files via a .. (dot dot) in the id parameter in an edit action.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2008-4528"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2008-10-09T18:14:00Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "Directory traversal vulnerability in notes.php in Phlatline\u0027s Personal Information Manager (pPIM) 1.01 allows remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files via a .. (dot dot) in the id parameter in an edit action.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hpm-43cm-xvr6",
  "modified": "2022-05-02T00:10:56Z",
  "published": "2022-05-02T00:10:56Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-4528"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/45681"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/6667"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "http://securityreason.com/securityalert/4390"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/31571"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": []
}

GHSA-9HQ4-HM3J-JMPH

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-11-09 22:37 – Updated: 2026-11-09 22:37
VLAI
Summary
DDEV incomplete tar symlink traversal fix allows host file overwrite - Incomplete fix of CVE-2026-32885
Details

Summary

The CVE-2026-32885 ZipSlip fix added a symlink-target escape check to Untar, but the check rebases an ABSOLUTE symlink target into dest before validating (filepath.Join(dest, "/etc") stays lexically inside dest and passes), while the symlink is then created with the RAW absolute target via os.Symlink(file.Linkname, ...), so a malicious archive plants a host-absolute symlink and a following regular-file entry writes through it, restoring arbitrary host file create/overwrite (reaching $HOME rc-files, hence RCE). Confirmed at HEAD.

The defect (the symlink check is a no-op for absolute targets)

CVE-2026-32885 (fixed v1.25.2, commit 05cbe299) added a lexical containment check on the entry path and a NEW symlink-target validation. pkg/archive/archive.go, Untar, tar.TypeSymlink case:

if filepath.IsAbs(file.Linkname) {
    resolvedTarget = filepath.Join(dest, file.Linkname)   // line 298: absolute target REBASED into dest
} else {
    resolvedTarget = filepath.Join(fullPathDir, file.Linkname)
}
if !strings.HasPrefix(filepath.Clean(resolvedTarget)+sep, filepath.Clean(dest)+sep) {  // line 302
    return ...escapes destination...                       // line 303
}
_ = os.Remove(fullPath)                                     // line 307
err = os.Symlink(file.Linkname, fullPath)                  // line 310: writes the RAW Linkname

For an absolute Linkname like /Users/victim, line 298 computes filepath.Join(dest, "/Users/victim") = dest/Users/victim (lexically inside dest), so the escape check at line 302 PASSES. But line 310 creates the symlink with the raw file.Linkname, so the on-disk symlink dest/link points at the real host path /Users/victim. The value validated (rebased) is not the value written (raw): a check-one-thing / do-another divergence.

Write-through: the archive carries a second regular-file entry whose Name traverses the planted link (e.g. link/.zshrc). Its fullPath is lexically inside dest so the line-238 check passes (that check is purely lexical and does not resolve the symlink), then os.Create follows the planted symlink and overwrites /Users/victim/.zshrc on the host. Overwriting a shell rc-file, git hook, or cron entry yields code execution. Reachable via ddev add-on get (the exact remote-add-on vector the advisory names), and via ddev import-db / import-files. GitHub codeload tarballs preserve symlinks.

Verification

EXECUTED (go test driving the real Untar): a file was written OUTSIDE dest and Untar returned nil (VULNERABLE); a pre-existing host file was truncated and overwritten with the attacker payload; the negative controls (a relative ../ symlink escape, and a plain ../ file entry) are both correctly rejected, isolating the bug to the absolute-symlink branch. NOT verified: the end-to-end add-on get over the network (the caller chain is source-confirmed); Windows (reliable on macOS/Linux, DDEV's primary hosts). Unzip is NOT affected (tar-only).

Suggested fix

Reject absolute symlink targets outright (a dev-environment archive has no need to plant host-absolute symlinks), or validate the RAW target that will actually be written rather than a rebased copy. Additionally, resolve symlinks when validating each regular-file entry's parent so a write cannot traverse a previously-planted link (or extract to a staging dir and reject any entry whose realpath escapes). The lexical line-238 check does not defend against a planted symlink.

Tooling

AI assistance was used while investigating. The write-through is executed-verified with negative controls (an absolute-symlink entry plus a follow-up file entry wrote and overwrote files OUTSIDE dest while relative-escape and plain-ZipSlip controls were correctly rejected), and I confirmed at HEAD that Untar rebases an absolute symlink target into dest for the escape check (line 298) but creates the symlink with the raw absolute target (line 310).

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Go",
        "name": "github.com/ddev/ddev"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "1.25.4"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-108262"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22",
      "CWE-59"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-11-09T22:37:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-11-06T19:17:06Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\nThe CVE-2026-32885 ZipSlip fix added a symlink-target escape check to Untar, but the check rebases an ABSOLUTE symlink target into dest before validating (filepath.Join(dest, \"/etc\") stays lexically inside dest and passes), while the symlink is then created with the RAW absolute target via os.Symlink(file.Linkname, ...), so a malicious archive plants a host-absolute symlink and a following regular-file entry writes through it, restoring arbitrary host file create/overwrite (reaching $HOME rc-files, hence RCE). Confirmed at HEAD.\n\n## The defect (the symlink check is a no-op for absolute targets)\n\nCVE-2026-32885 (fixed v1.25.2, commit 05cbe299) added a lexical containment check on the entry path and a NEW symlink-target validation. pkg/archive/archive.go, Untar, tar.TypeSymlink case:\n\n```go\nif filepath.IsAbs(file.Linkname) {\n    resolvedTarget = filepath.Join(dest, file.Linkname)   // line 298: absolute target REBASED into dest\n} else {\n    resolvedTarget = filepath.Join(fullPathDir, file.Linkname)\n}\nif !strings.HasPrefix(filepath.Clean(resolvedTarget)+sep, filepath.Clean(dest)+sep) {  // line 302\n    return ...escapes destination...                       // line 303\n}\n_ = os.Remove(fullPath)                                     // line 307\nerr = os.Symlink(file.Linkname, fullPath)                  // line 310: writes the RAW Linkname\n```\n\nFor an absolute Linkname like /Users/victim, line 298 computes filepath.Join(dest, \"/Users/victim\") = dest/Users/victim (lexically inside dest), so the escape check at line 302 PASSES. But line 310 creates the symlink with the raw file.Linkname, so the on-disk symlink dest/link points at the real host path /Users/victim. The value validated (rebased) is not the value written (raw): a check-one-thing / do-another divergence.\n\nWrite-through: the archive carries a second regular-file entry whose Name traverses the planted link (e.g. link/.zshrc). Its fullPath is lexically inside dest so the line-238 check passes (that check is purely lexical and does not resolve the symlink), then os.Create follows the planted symlink and overwrites /Users/victim/.zshrc on the host. Overwriting a shell rc-file, git hook, or cron entry yields code execution. Reachable via ddev add-on get \u003crepo|url\u003e (the exact remote-add-on vector the advisory names), and via ddev import-db / import-files. GitHub codeload tarballs preserve symlinks.\n\n## Verification\n\nEXECUTED (go test driving the real Untar): a file was written OUTSIDE dest and Untar returned nil (VULNERABLE); a pre-existing host file was truncated and overwritten with the attacker payload; the negative controls (a relative ../ symlink escape, and a plain ../ file entry) are both correctly rejected, isolating the bug to the absolute-symlink branch. NOT verified: the end-to-end add-on get over the network (the caller chain is source-confirmed); Windows (reliable on macOS/Linux, DDEV\u0027s primary hosts). Unzip is NOT affected (tar-only).\n\n## Suggested fix\n\nReject absolute symlink targets outright (a dev-environment archive has no need to plant host-absolute symlinks), or validate the RAW target that will actually be written rather than a rebased copy. Additionally, resolve symlinks when validating each regular-file entry\u0027s parent so a write cannot traverse a previously-planted link (or extract to a staging dir and reject any entry whose realpath escapes). The lexical line-238 check does not defend against a planted symlink.\n\n## Tooling\n\nAI assistance was used while investigating. The write-through is executed-verified with negative controls (an absolute-symlink entry plus a follow-up file entry wrote and overwrote files OUTSIDE dest while relative-escape and plain-ZipSlip controls were correctly rejected), and I confirmed at HEAD that Untar rebases an absolute symlink target into dest for the escape check (line 298) but creates the symlink with the raw absolute target (line 310).",
  "id": "GHSA-9hq4-hm3j-jmph",
  "modified": "2026-11-09T22:37:59Z",
  "published": "2026-11-09T22:37:58Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/ddev/ddev/security/advisories/GHSA-9hq4-hm3j-jmph"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-108262"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/ddev/ddev/pull/8625"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/ddev/ddev/commit/7034963403c5374fecceb02070d27b335329cede"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/ddev/ddev"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/ddev/ddev/releases/tag/v1.25.4"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "DDEV incomplete tar symlink traversal fix allows host file overwrite - Incomplete fix of CVE-2026-32885"
}

GHSA-9HR3-J9MC-XMQ2

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-03 00:00 – Updated: 2022-05-20 21:17
VLAI
Summary
Path Traversal in com.alibaba.oneagent:one-java-agent-plugin
Details

All versions of package com.alibaba.oneagent:one-java-agent-plugin are vulnerable to Arbitrary File Write via Archive Extraction (Zip Slip) using a specially crafted archive that holds directory traversal filenames (e.g. ../../evil.exe). The attacker can overwrite executable files and either invoke them remotely or wait for the system or user to call them, thus achieving remote command execution on the victim’s machine.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Maven",
        "name": "com.alibaba.oneagent:one-java-agent-plugin"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "0.0.2"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2022-25842"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22",
      "CWE-29"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2022-05-20T21:17:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2022-05-01T16:15:00Z",
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "All versions of package `com.alibaba.oneagent:one-java-agent-plugin` are vulnerable to Arbitrary File Write via Archive Extraction (Zip Slip) using a specially crafted archive that holds directory traversal filenames (e.g. `../../evil.exe`). The attacker can overwrite executable files and either invoke them remotely or wait for the system or user to call them, thus achieving remote command execution on the victim\u2019s machine.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hr3-j9mc-xmq2",
  "modified": "2022-05-20T21:17:03Z",
  "published": "2022-05-03T00:00:44Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-25842"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/alibaba/one-java-agent/pull/29"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/alibaba/one-java-agent/pull/29/commits/359603b63fc6c59d8b57e061c171954bab3433bf"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/alibaba/one-java-agent/pull/29/commits/b5b437f9f4c8cbfe7bdbe266e975a4bd513c13fe"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/alibaba/one-java-agent"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/alibaba/one-java-agent/blob/1f399a2299a8a409d15ea6111a7098629b8f1050/one-java-agent-plugin/src/main/java/com/alibaba/oneagent/utils/IOUtils.java"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-COMALIBABAONEAGENT-2407874"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:L",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Path Traversal in com.alibaba.oneagent:one-java-agent-plugin"
}

GHSA-9HWH-VC95-7QCC

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-24 16:45 – Updated: 2024-04-04 00:39
VLAI
Details

GetFile.aspx in Rapid4 RapidFlows Enterprise Application Builder 4.5M.23 (when used with .NET Framework 4.5) allows Local File Inclusion via the FileDesc parameter.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2019-11397"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2019-05-14T21:29:00Z",
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "GetFile.aspx in Rapid4 RapidFlows Enterprise Application Builder 4.5M.23 (when used with .NET Framework 4.5) allows Local File Inclusion via the FileDesc parameter.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hwh-vc95-7qcc",
  "modified": "2024-04-04T00:39:01Z",
  "published": "2022-05-24T16:45:39Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11397"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://medium.com/%40javarmutt/rapid4-local-file-inclusion-0day-151c830ac74a"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://medium.com/@javarmutt/rapid4-local-file-inclusion-0day-151c830ac74a"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "http://rapidflows.com"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ]
}

GHSA-9HWX-82RG-G37J

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-01 23:31 – Updated: 2022-05-01 23:31
VLAI
Details

Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in Nilson's Blogger 0.11 allow remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files via a .. (dot dot) in (1) the permalink parameter in core.php, accessed through index.php; and (2) the thispost parameter in comments.php.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2008-0559"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2008-02-04T23:00:00Z",
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in Nilson\u0027s Blogger 0.11 allow remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files via a .. (dot dot) in (1) the permalink parameter in core.php, accessed through index.php; and (2) the thispost parameter in comments.php.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hwx-82rg-g37j",
  "modified": "2022-05-01T23:31:27Z",
  "published": "2022-05-01T23:31:27Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-0559"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "http://secunia.com/advisories/28737"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "http://securityreason.com/securityalert/3604"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/487384/100/0/threaded"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/27559"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": []
}

GHSA-9HX7-C53C-V6X8

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-05-26 23:56 – Updated: 2026-05-26 23:56
VLAI
Summary
Kirby CMS has pre-authentication path traversal and PHP file inclusion during user lookup
Details

TL;DR

This vulnerability affects all Kirby sites on Kirby 5.3.0-5.4.0 and is independent from setup conditions and authentication.

This vulnerability is of high severity for all Kirby sites.


Introduction

Path traversal is a type of attack that allows to access arbitrary filesystem paths. By using special elements such as .. and / separators, attackers can escape outside of the restricted location to access files or directories that are elsewhere on the system. One of the most common special elements is the ../ sequence, which in most modern operating systems is interpreted as the parent directory of the current location. Path traversal can give attackers information about the filesystem and directory structure on the server and can lead to additional attacks depending on the nature of the accessible files and directories.

PHP file inclusion is a type of attack that allows to load and execute PHP files on the server that are not intended for direct inclusion. Depending on the logic inside the PHP files, this can lead to disclosure of sensitive information or unintended, malicious actions.

Affected components

Kirby's Users collection received a performance improvement in Kirby 5.3.0. Starting in this release, Kirby loads user objects lazily when they are first needed. Users are queried by their user ID, which is then used to look up the user's account directory in the site/accounts directory.

This applies to the authentication API (accessible to unauthenticated requests), the users API (accessible to authenticated users only) as well as to other places that use $users->find() to look up an individual user with a request-provided email or user ID.

Impact

In affected releases, Kirby did not correctly validate the provided user ID, causing a path traversal vulnerability. This vulnerability results in the following impact:

  • Arbitrary PHP file inclusion of files with the filename index.php (e.g. the main PHP files of plugins), the impact of which depends on the contents and logic inside the includable files.
  • Probing of the existence of arbitrary directories on the server, which can allow attackers to fingerprint the server and site setup, including installed plugins and the content structure.

Patches

The problem has been patched in Kirby 5.4.1. Please update to this or a later version to fix the vulnerability.

In the mentioned release, Kirby has added additional checks to the user lookup that ensure that the provided user ID only contains valid characters and that the resulting path to the account directory is contained in the site/accounts directory.

Credits

Kirby thanks @offset for responsibly reporting the identified issue.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 5.4.0"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Packagist",
        "name": "getkirby/cms"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "5.3.0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "5.4.1"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-44177"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22",
      "CWE-98"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-05-26T23:56:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at": null,
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "### TL;DR\n\nThis vulnerability affects all Kirby sites on Kirby 5.3.0-5.4.0 and is independent from setup conditions and authentication.\n\n**This vulnerability is of high severity for all Kirby sites**.\n\n----\n\n### Introduction\n\nPath traversal is a type of attack that allows to access arbitrary filesystem paths. By using special elements such as `..` and `/` separators, attackers can escape outside of the restricted location to access files or directories that are elsewhere on the system. One of the most common special elements is the `../` sequence, which in most modern operating systems is interpreted as the parent directory of the current location. Path traversal can give attackers information about the filesystem and directory structure on the server and can lead to additional attacks depending on the nature of the accessible files and directories.\n\nPHP file inclusion is a type of attack that allows to load and execute PHP files on the server that are not intended for direct inclusion. Depending on the logic inside the PHP files, this can lead to disclosure of sensitive information or unintended, malicious actions.\n\n### Affected components\n\nKirby\u0027s `Users` collection received a performance improvement in Kirby 5.3.0. Starting in this release, Kirby loads user objects lazily when they are first needed. Users are queried by their user ID, which is then used to look up the user\u0027s account directory in the `site/accounts` directory.\n\nThis applies to the authentication API (accessible to unauthenticated requests), the users API (accessible to authenticated users only) as well as to other places that use `$users-\u003efind()` to look up an individual user with a request-provided email or user ID.\n\n### Impact\n\nIn affected releases, Kirby did not correctly validate the provided user ID, causing a path traversal vulnerability. This vulnerability results in the following impact:\n\n- Arbitrary PHP file inclusion of files with the filename `index.php` (e.g. the main PHP files of plugins), the impact of which depends on the contents and logic inside the includable files.\n- Probing of the existence of arbitrary directories on the server, which can allow attackers to fingerprint the server and site setup, including installed plugins and the content structure.\n\n### Patches\n\nThe problem has been patched in [Kirby 5.4.1](https://github.com/getkirby/kirby/releases/tag/5.4.1). Please update to this or a [later version](https://github.com/getkirby/kirby/releases) to fix the vulnerability.\n\nIn the mentioned release, Kirby has added additional checks to the user lookup that ensure that the provided user ID only contains valid characters and that the resulting path to the account directory is contained in the `site/accounts` directory.\n\n### Credits\n\nKirby thanks @offset for responsibly reporting the identified issue.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hx7-c53c-v6x8",
  "modified": "2026-05-26T23:56:40Z",
  "published": "2026-05-26T23:56:40Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/getkirby/kirby/security/advisories/GHSA-9hx7-c53c-v6x8"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/getkirby/kirby"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/getkirby/kirby/releases/tag/5.4.1"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V4"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Kirby CMS has pre-authentication path traversal and PHP file inclusion during user lookup"
}

GHSA-9HXF-C4MG-P6JM

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-01 18:40 – Updated: 2022-05-01 18:40
VLAI
Details

Directory traversal vulnerability in common/classes/class_HeaderHandler.lib.php in Rayzz Script 2.0 allows remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files via a .. (dot dot) in the CFG[site][project_path] parameter.

Show details on source website

{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2007-6230"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-22"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2007-12-04T18:46:00Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "Directory traversal vulnerability in common/classes/class_HeaderHandler.lib.php in Rayzz Script 2.0 allows remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files via a .. (dot dot) in the CFG[site][project_path] parameter.",
  "id": "GHSA-9hxf-c4mg-p6jm",
  "modified": "2022-05-01T18:40:48Z",
  "published": "2022-05-01T18:40:48Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2007-6230"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/38802"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/4685"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "http://osvdb.org/39694"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": []
}

Mitigation MIT-5.1
Implementation

Strategy: Input Validation

  • Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
  • When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, "boat" may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as "red" or "blue."
  • Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code's environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.
  • When validating filenames, use stringent allowlists that limit the character set to be used. If feasible, only allow a single "." character in the filename to avoid weaknesses such as CWE-23, and exclude directory separators such as "/" to avoid CWE-36. Use a list of allowable file extensions, which will help to avoid CWE-434.
  • Do not rely exclusively on a filtering mechanism that removes potentially dangerous characters. This is equivalent to a denylist, which may be incomplete (CWE-184). For example, filtering "/" is insufficient protection if the filesystem also supports the use of "\" as a directory separator. Another possible error could occur when the filtering is applied in a way that still produces dangerous data (CWE-182). For example, if "../" sequences are removed from the ".../...//" string in a sequential fashion, two instances of "../" would be removed from the original string, but the remaining characters would still form the "../" string.
Mitigation MIT-15
Architecture and Design

For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.

Mitigation MIT-20.1
Implementation

Strategy: Input Validation

  • Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
  • Use a built-in path canonicalization function (such as realpath() in C) that produces the canonical version of the pathname, which effectively removes ".." sequences and symbolic links (CWE-23, CWE-59). This includes:
  • realpath() in C
  • getCanonicalPath() in Java
  • GetFullPath() in ASP.NET
  • realpath() or abs_path() in Perl
  • realpath() in PHP
Mitigation MIT-4
Architecture and Design

Strategy: Libraries or Frameworks

Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid [REF-1482].

Mitigation MIT-29
Operation

Strategy: Firewall

Use an application firewall that can detect attacks against this weakness. It can be beneficial in cases in which the code cannot be fixed (because it is controlled by a third party), as an emergency prevention measure while more comprehensive software assurance measures are applied, or to provide defense in depth [REF-1481].

Mitigation MIT-17
Architecture and Design Operation

Strategy: Environment Hardening

Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.

Mitigation MIT-21.1
Architecture and Design

Strategy: Enforcement by Conversion

  • When the set of acceptable objects, such as filenames or URLs, is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames or URLs, and reject all other inputs.
  • For example, ID 1 could map to "inbox.txt" and ID 2 could map to "profile.txt". Features such as the ESAPI AccessReferenceMap [REF-185] provide this capability.
Mitigation MIT-22
Architecture and Design Operation

Strategy: Sandbox or Jail

  • Run the code in a "jail" or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict which files can be accessed in a particular directory or which commands can be executed by the software.
  • OS-level examples include the Unix chroot jail, AppArmor, and SELinux. In general, managed code may provide some protection. For example, java.io.FilePermission in the Java SecurityManager allows the software to specify restrictions on file operations.
  • This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of the application may still be subject to compromise.
  • Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
Mitigation MIT-34
Architecture and Design Operation

Strategy: Attack Surface Reduction

  • Store library, include, and utility files outside of the web document root, if possible. Otherwise, store them in a separate directory and use the web server's access control capabilities to prevent attackers from directly requesting them. One common practice is to define a fixed constant in each calling program, then check for the existence of the constant in the library/include file; if the constant does not exist, then the file was directly requested, and it can exit immediately.
  • This significantly reduces the chance of an attacker being able to bypass any protection mechanisms that are in the base program but not in the include files. It will also reduce the attack surface.
Mitigation MIT-39
Implementation
  • Ensure that error messages only contain minimal details that are useful to the intended audience and no one else. The messages need to strike the balance between being too cryptic (which can confuse users) or being too detailed (which may reveal more than intended). The messages should not reveal the methods that were used to determine the error. Attackers can use detailed information to refine or optimize their original attack, thereby increasing their chances of success.
  • If errors must be captured in some detail, record them in log messages, but consider what could occur if the log messages can be viewed by attackers. Highly sensitive information such as passwords should never be saved to log files.
  • Avoid inconsistent messaging that might accidentally tip off an attacker about internal state, such as whether a user account exists or not.
  • In the context of path traversal, error messages which disclose path information can help attackers craft the appropriate attack strings to move through the file system hierarchy.
Mitigation MIT-16
Operation Implementation

Strategy: Environment Hardening

When using PHP, configure the application so that it does not use register_globals. During implementation, develop the application so that it does not rely on this feature, but be wary of implementing a register_globals emulation that is subject to weaknesses such as CWE-95, CWE-621, and similar issues.

CAPEC-126: Path Traversal

An adversary uses path manipulation methods to exploit insufficient input validation of a target to obtain access to data that should be not be retrievable by ordinary well-formed requests. A typical variety of this attack involves specifying a path to a desired file together with dot-dot-slash characters, resulting in the file access API or function traversing out of the intended directory structure and into the root file system. By replacing or modifying the expected path information the access function or API retrieves the file desired by the attacker. These attacks either involve the attacker providing a complete path to a targeted file or using control characters (e.g. path separators (/ or \) and/or dots (.)) to reach desired directories or files.

CAPEC-64: Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation Logic

This attack targets the encoding of the URL combined with the encoding of the slash characters. An attacker can take advantage of the multiple ways of encoding a URL and abuse the interpretation of the URL. A URL may contain special character that need special syntax handling in order to be interpreted. Special characters are represented using a percentage character followed by two digits representing the octet code of the original character (%HEX-CODE). For instance US-ASCII space character would be represented with %20. This is often referred as escaped ending or percent-encoding. Since the server decodes the URL from the requests, it may restrict the access to some URL paths by validating and filtering out the URL requests it received. An attacker will try to craft an URL with a sequence of special characters which once interpreted by the server will be equivalent to a forbidden URL. It can be difficult to protect against this attack since the URL can contain other format of encoding such as UTF-8 encoding, Unicode-encoding, etc.

CAPEC-76: Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls

An attacker manipulates inputs to the target software which the target software passes to file system calls in the OS. The goal is to gain access to, and perhaps modify, areas of the file system that the target software did not intend to be accessible.

CAPEC-78: Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate Encoding

This attack targets the use of the backslash in alternate encoding. An adversary can provide a backslash as a leading character and causes a parser to believe that the next character is special. This is called an escape. By using that trick, the adversary tries to exploit alternate ways to encode the same character which leads to filter problems and opens avenues to attack.

CAPEC-79: Using Slashes in Alternate Encoding

This attack targets the encoding of the Slash characters. An adversary would try to exploit common filtering problems related to the use of the slashes characters to gain access to resources on the target host. Directory-driven systems, such as file systems and databases, typically use the slash character to indicate traversal between directories or other container components. For murky historical reasons, PCs (and, as a result, Microsoft OSs) choose to use a backslash, whereas the UNIX world typically makes use of the forward slash. The schizophrenic result is that many MS-based systems are required to understand both forms of the slash. This gives the adversary many opportunities to discover and abuse a number of common filtering problems. The goal of this pattern is to discover server software that only applies filters to one version, but not the other.