Weakness (CWE)
CWE-36: Absolute Path Traversal
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize absolute path sequences such as "/abs/path" that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.
How to prevent it (3 mitigations)
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Implementation
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.
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Implementation
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.
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Operation
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].
Source: MITRE CWE-36
19 results · Clear filters · Feed
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Critical 9.9
DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data has several vulnerabilities
IBM DataStage on Cloud Pak for Data 5.4.0.0 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information due to an absolute-path traversal vulnerability.
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Critical 9.1
WAVLINK WN535M1/WN535M3 Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Write via sync_server
WAVLINK WN535M1 and WN535M3 routers running firmware prior to M35M1_V250922 contain an unauthenticated arbitrary file write vulnerability that allows remote attackers to overwrite any file on the device by sending a crafted payload to the sync_server daemon o…
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Critical 9.9
Path traversal in Plesk's Backup Manager causes arbitrary file write as root by an authenticated customer.
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Critical 9.2
Kata guest escape: runtime-rs guest-root to host-root escape via virtiofs
Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. Prior to 3.31.0, the runtime-rs standalone virtio-fs path is vulnerable to a guest-root to host-root escape. In…
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Critical 10.0CVE-2025-34392 EPSS 26%
Barracuda RMM < 2025.1.1 Service Center Absolute Path Traversal RCE
Barracuda Service Center, as implemented in the RMM solution, in versions prior to 2025.1.1, does not verify the URL defined in an attacker-controlled WSDL that is later loaded by the application. This can lead to arbitrary file write and remote code executio…
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Critical 9.1
Arbitrary File Write in eosphoros-ai/db-gpt
eosphoros-ai/db-gpt version 0.6.0 is vulnerable to an arbitrary file write through the knowledge API. The endpoint for uploading files as 'knowledge' is susceptible to absolute path traversal, allowing attackers to write files to arbitrary locations on the ta…
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Critical 9.1
Arbitrary File Write through Absolute Path Traversal in eosphoros-ai/db-gpt
In eosphoros-ai/db-gpt version 0.6.0, the endpoint for uploading files is vulnerable to absolute path traversal. This vulnerability allows an attacker to upload arbitrary files to arbitrary locations on the target server. The issue arises because the `file_ke…
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Critical 9.8
Path traversal issue in Deep Java Library
A path traversal issue in ZipUtils.unzip and TarUtils.untar in Deep Java Library (DJL) on all platforms allows a bad actor to write files to arbitrary locations.
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Critical 9.8
Absolute path traversal in Ivanti EPM before the 2024 January-2025 Security Update and 2022 SU6 January-2025 Security U…
KEV Mar 10, 2025 -
Critical 9.8
Absolute path traversal in Ivanti EPM before the 2024 January-2025 Security Update and 2022 SU6 January-2025 Security U…
KEV Mar 10, 2025 -
Critical 9.8
Absolute path traversal in Ivanti EPM before the 2024 January-2025 Security Update and 2022 SU6 January-2025 Security U…
KEV Mar 10, 2025 -
Critical 9.8
Absolute path traversal in Ivanti EPM before the 2024 January-2025 Security Update and 2022 SU6 January-2025 Security U…
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Critical 10.0
Absolute Path Traversal
Absolute File Traversal vulnerabilities allows access and modification of un-intended resources. Affected products: ABB ASPECT - Enterprise v3.08.02; NEXUS Series v3.08.02; MATRIX Series v3.08.02
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Critical 9.1
Butterfly has path/URL confusion in resource handling leading to multiple weaknesses
The OpenRefine fork of the MIT Simile Butterfly server is a modular web application framework. The Butterfly framework uses the `java.net.URL` class to refer to (what are expected to be) local resource files, like images or templates. This works: "opening a c…
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Critical 9.8
Hgiga OAKlouds - Arbitrary File Read And Delete
The fix for CVE-2024-26261 was incomplete, and and the specific package for OAKlouds from Hgiga remains at risk. Unauthenticated remote attackers still can download arbitrary system files, which may be deleted subsequently .
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Critical 9.8
A vulnerability in the content scanning and message filtering features of Cisco Secure Email Gateway could allow an una…
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Critical 9.1
Path Traversal in parisneo/lollms-webui
A path traversal vulnerability exists in the parisneo/lollms-webui version 9.3 on the Windows platform. Due to improper validation of file paths between Windows and Linux environments, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability to delete any file on the syste…
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Critical 10.0
Absolute Path Traversal in mlflow/mlflow
Absolute Path Traversal in GitHub repository mlflow/mlflow prior to 2.5.0.
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Critical 9.9
Improper path handling in kustomization files allows path traversal
Flux is an open and extensible continuous delivery solution for Kubernetes. Path Traversal in the kustomize-controller via a malicious `kustomization.yaml` allows an attacker to expose sensitive data from the controller’s pod filesystem and possibly privilege…