Weakness (CWE)
CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path
The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
How to prevent it (8 mitigations)
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Architecture and Design
When the set of filenames is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames, 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 provide this capability.
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Architecture and Design, Operation
Run your code in a "jail" or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict all access to files within a particular directory.
Examples include the Unix chroot jail and AppArmor. In general, managed code may provide some protection.
This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of your application may still be subject to compromise.
Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
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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.
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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
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).
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Installation, Operation
Use OS-level permissions and run as a low-privileged user to limit the scope of any successful attack.
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Operation, Implementation
If you are using PHP, configure your application so that it does not use register_globals. During implementation, develop your 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.
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Testing
Use tools and techniques that require manual (human) analysis, such as penetration testing, threat modeling, and interactive tools that allow the tester to record and modify an active session. These may be more effective than strictly automated techniques. This is especially the case with weaknesses that are related to design and business rules.
Source: MITRE CWE-73
281 results · Clear filters · Feed
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Medium 5.6
- External Control of File Name or Path vulnerability in Johnson Controls EasyIO FS32 allows - traversal attack. This i…
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Medium 6.7
Kiteworks Core Privilege Escalation through External Control of File Name or Path
Two Kiteworks Core cluster-management operations did not validate file paths supplied to them, so an attacker holding root on one node of a cluster could write files as root onto another node and cause them to be executed there. Exploitation requires backend …
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Medium 6.5
Kiteworks Email Protection Gateway Arbitrary File Write through Server-Side Template Injection
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Cato Windows SDP Client arbitrary file disclosure due to improper TLS certificate validation
Cato Windows SDP Client before version 6.12.6 contains an arbitrary file disclosure vulnerability. A low-privileged local user can cause the Windows service, running as Local System, to read and disclose arbitrary local files due to improper file path validat…
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Medium 4.4
EWWW Image Optimizer < 8.8.0 - Admin+ WebP File Rename and Deletion via Unrestricted Path in WebP Migration Handler
The EWWW Image Optimizer WordPress plugin before 8.8.0 does not confine a WebP-derivative file migration routine to the current site's own uploads directory, letting an attacker with Administrator-level access rename or delete existing WebP-derivative image f…
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Medium 6.9
Joomla Extension - balbooa.com - File meta data tampering in Balbooa Forms < 2.4.3.4
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Medium 5.9
GitPython before 3.1.62 Path Traversal via gitmodules path
GitPython before 3.1.62 does not validate the `path` field read from an untrusted .gitmodules file when updating submodules. While a prior fix (GHSA-hmq2-w58f-27jc) added Submodule._validated_name() to constrain the `name` field, and GitPython's own containme…
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Medium 6.5
Streamlink: HTTPSession follows HTTP redirects into file:// URLs, reading local files
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Medium 6.6
NVIDIA Infrastructure Controller for Linux contains a vulnerability where an attacker could cause external control of a…
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Medium 5.3
mport trusts environment-controlled temporary directories in privileged metadata extraction
mport is the MidnightBSD Package Manager. mport before 2.7.8 used TMPDIR while extracting package metafiles, including when running as root or in setuid/setgid contexts. An attacker able to control the environment for a privileged mport invocation could redir…
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Medium 5.5
JetFormBuilder 3.5.6.2 - 3.6.5.2 - Admin+ Arbitrary File Deletion via Server-Side Validation Callback
The JetFormBuilder — Dynamic Blocks Form Builder WordPress plugin before 3.6.5.3 does not sufficiently restrict which PHP functions can be used as a custom field-validation callback, relying on a blocklist that omits a file-deletion function, allowing users a…
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Medium 6.0
mport package installation can overwrite existing unmanaged or differently owned files
mport is the MidnightBSD Package Manager. Prior to 2.7.8, package installation lacked a preflight check for incoming non-directory assets that already existed on disk. The affected logic across libmport/check_preconditions.c, libmport/install_primative.c, and…
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Medium 5.9
Nodemailer before 9.1.1 Security Sandbox Bypass via resolveContent
Nodemailer (npm package `nodemailer`) versions 9.1.0 and earlier do not honor the `disableFileAccess` and `disableUrlAccess` sandbox options when message content is resolved through the public plugin API `MailMessage.resolveContent()` using the documented leg…
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Medium 4.4
Redocly CLI: Path traversal when using `split` command
Redocly CLI makes OpenAPI validation, linting, and documentation workflows easier. Prior to @redocly/cli 2.33.2, the split command constructs output paths under --outDir from untrusted OpenAPI or AsyncAPI component names and x-codeSamples lang values without …
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Medium 6.5
WP Import Export Lite < 3.9.33 - Authenticated Arbitrary Directory Deletion via Template Path Traversal
The WP Import Export Lite WordPress plugin before 3.9.33 does not validate a path taken from stored, user-supplied data before recursively deleting the directory it resolves to, allowing users to whom an administrator has delegated a WP Import Export Lite Wor…
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Medium 4.0
Newell Brands DYMO Connect Desktop improper file path validation
The LoadImageAsPngBase64 endpoint of the Newell Brands DYMO Connect Desktop local web service accepts a file path parameter without adequate validation, allowing a crafted path to read arbitrary image files from the host filesystem outside the intended scope.…
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Medium 4.6
psd-tools: arbitrary file write via smart-object filename
psd-tools is a Python package for working with Adobe Photoshop PSD files. Prior to version 1.17.1, `SmartObject.save()` writes an embedded smart object to a path taken verbatim from the PSD file. Because that name is attacker-controlled and unsanitised, a too…
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Medium 5.4
Rattler vulnerable to package cache path traversal via conda package build string
Rattler is a library that provides common functionality used within the conda ecosystem. `rattler_cache` prior to version 0.9.0 and `py-rattler` prior to version 0.24.0 were vulnerable to package-cache path traversal when handling package metadata from conda …
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Medium 5.3
n8n: Git Node branch.<name>.remote Config Key Bypasses Sandbox Path Restriction, Enabling Local Git Repository Read
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Medium 5.9
Improper Path Validation in Okta Access Gateway Kerberos Configuration Handling
The Okta Access Gateway Kerberos configuration handler does not validate file paths specified in event payloads before writing file contents. The path from the event payload is used directly as the write destination, resulting in files being written to uninte…
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Medium 5.6
The Windows interactive service in OpenVPN 2.4.0 through 2.6.22 allows local authenticated users to bypass the trusted …
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Medium 6.5
Grav Admin Plugin Path Traversal via Save As Language Code
Grav versions before 1.10.55 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the admin plugin's Save As action that fails to validate the language code parameter. An authenticated admin user with admin.pages.create permission can supply directory traversal sequence…
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Medium 5.5
WPvivid Backup & Migration < 0.9.134 - Admin+ Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal
The WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging WordPress plugin before 0.9.134 does not validate a user supplied path before using it in a file deletion routine, allowing administrators to delete arbitrary files on the server, including files outside the web root.
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Medium 5.9
Frontend Admin by DynamiApps < 3.29.13 - Unauthenticated .htaccess and index.php Deletion via Custom Directory Path Traversal
The Frontend Admin by DynamiApps WordPress plugin before 3.29.13 does not properly validate a user-controllable directory path before deleting files within it, allowing unauthenticated attackers to delete index.php and .htaccess files outside the intended dir…
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Medium 6.5
OpenList: Authenticated arbitrary file write via Content-Disposition path traversal in SimpleHttp offline-download tool
OpenList a file list program that supports multiple storage. Prior to 4.2.3, OpenList's offline-download feature at POST /api/fs/add_offline_download with tool: "SimpleHttp" accepts an attacker-supplied URL and saves its bytes under a per-task temporary direc…
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Medium 6.0
oasdiff does not enforce --allow-external-refs=false on the git-revision load path (SSRF / local file read)
oasdiff is a command-line and Go package that compares and detects breaking changes in OpenAPI specs. From version 1.13.2 through version 1.18.0, oasdiff did not enforce --allow-external-refs=false (library: openapi3.Loader.IsExternalRefsAllowed = false) when…
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Medium 5.3
browser-use web-ui 2.0.0 through 3.0.0 Arbitrary Directory Creation
browser-use web-ui versions 2.0.0 through 3.0.0 fail to validate browser settings paths in run_agent_task, allowing attackers to create directories at arbitrary locations by supplying absolute paths to save_recording_path, save_trace_path, save_agent_history_…
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Medium 6.5
Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) Spoofing Vulnerability
External control of file name or path in Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) allows an unauthorized attacker to perform spoofing over a network.
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Medium 6.8CVE-2026-12513 Public exploit
Shared Files < 1.7.68 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal
The Shared Files WordPress plugin before 1.7.67, shared-files-pro WordPress plugin before 1.7.68 do not properly sanitize a file path taken from a frontend file submission and their single-pass traversal filter is bypassable, allowing unauthenticated users to…
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Medium 6.0
In Eclipse SW360 versions 19.0.0, 19.1.0, 19.2.0, 20.0.0, 20.1.0, if the system is configured to use file system storag…
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Medium 6.0
Path Traversal in extension "Mask" (mask)
The extension fails to validate a client-supplied template element key before using it to build file paths for saving and deleting Mask template files. An authenticated backend user with access to the Mask module can supply a key containing path traversal seq…
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Medium 6.5
GitPython before 3.1.59 Arbitrary File Read via TagReference.create
GitPython before 3.1.59 contains an arbitrary file read vulnerability in TagReference.create() where a positional reference parameter bypasses the unsafe option guard. Attackers can supply a reference value like --file=<path> to read arbitrary files, with con…
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Medium 5.4
Adminer sql-log Plugin 5.3.0 through 5.4.2 Arbitrary File Write
Adminer versions 5.3.0 through 5.4.2 with the sql-log plugin enabled contain an arbitrary file write vulnerability in the ns parameter of plugins/sql-log.php. An authenticated user can supply path traversal sequences in the ns parameter to write arbitrary .sq…
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Medium 5.9
NLTK 3.9.4 Path Traversal via FrameNet and NKJP Readers
NLTK versions before 3.10.0 contain a path traversal vulnerability in FramenetCorpusReader and NKJPCorpusReader that allows attackers to parse XML files outside the corpus root by supplying unsafe selectors or poisoned index state. Attackers can exploit frame…
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Medium 5.4
DS8900F and DS8A00 Information Disclosure
IBM System Storage DS8A00 10.1.3.0 through 10.11.35.0 and IBM DS8900F 89.40.83.0 through 89.44.25.0 could allow an authenticated user to read or modify another user's command history due to an externally controlled filename.
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Medium 6.5
GitPython before 3.1.58 Arbitrary File Read via pathspec-from-file
GitPython versions before 3.1.58 fail to validate options passed to git rm and git checkout commands in IndexFile.remove() and Head.checkout(). Attackers can supply --pathspec-from-file and --pathspec-file-nul parameters to read arbitrary files accessible to …
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Medium 6.5
phpMyFAQ before v4.1.6 Local File Disclosure via PDF Export
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Medium 5.2
Citrix Workspace App for Mac Security Bulletin for CVE-2026-18751
External control of file name or path vulnerability in Citrix WorkSpace App on MacOS. This issue affects WorkSpace App: 2607.
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Medium 4.4
Local File Inclusion via file:// URI in Migration Restore
Local File Inclusion via file:// URI in Migration Restore
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Medium 6.5
GitPython before 3.1.57 Arbitrary File Read via Repo.archive()
GitPython before 3.1.57 contains an incomplete denylist in the unsafe_git_archive_options guard that omits --add-file and --add-virtual-file options. Attackers can supply these options to Repo.archive() to read arbitrary files from the filesystem and include …