CWE-22
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Hoch
Stable
2006-07-19
00h00 +00:00
00h00 +00:00
2025-12-11
00h00 +00:00
00h00 +00:00
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Name: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
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.
Allgemeine Informationen
Einführungsmodi
ImplementationAnwendbare Plattformen
Sprache
Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)Technologien
Name: AI/ML (Undetermined)Häufige Konsequenzen
| Bereich | Auswirkung | Wahrscheinlichkeit |
|---|---|---|
| Integrity Confidentiality Availability | Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands Note: The attacker may be able to create or overwrite critical files that are used to execute code, such as programs or libraries. | |
| Integrity | Modify Files or Directories Note: The attacker may be able to overwrite or create critical files, such as programs, libraries, or important data. If the targeted file is used for a security mechanism, then the attacker may be able to bypass that mechanism. For example, appending a new account at the end of a password file may allow an attacker to bypass authentication. | |
| Confidentiality | Read Files or Directories Note: The attacker may be able read the contents of unexpected files and expose sensitive data. If the targeted file is used for a security mechanism, then the attacker may be able to bypass that mechanism. For example, by reading a password file, the attacker could conduct brute force password guessing attacks in order to break into an account on the system. | |
| Availability | DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart Note: The attacker may be able to overwrite, delete, or corrupt unexpected critical files such as programs, libraries, or important data. This may prevent the product from working at all and in the case of protection mechanisms such as authentication, it has the potential to lock out product users. |
Beobachtete Beispiele
| Referenzen | Beschreibung |
|---|---|
CVE-2024-37032 | Large language model (LLM) management tool does not validate the format of a digest value (CWE-1287) from a private, untrusted model registry, enabling relative path traversal (CWE-23), a.k.a. Probllama |
CVE-2024-4315 | Chain: API for text generation using Large Language Models (LLMs) does not include the "\" Windows folder separator in its denylist (CWE-184) when attempting to prevent Local File Inclusion via path traversal (CWE-22), allowing deletion of arbitrary files on Windows systems. |
CVE-2024-0520 | Product for managing datasets for AI model training and evaluation allows both relative (CWE-23) and absolute (CWE-36) path traversal to overwrite files via the Content-Disposition header |
CVE-2022-45918 | Chain: a learning management tool debugger uses external input to locate previous session logs (CWE-73) and does not properly validate the given path (CWE-20), allowing for filesystem path traversal using "../" sequences (CWE-24) |
CVE-2019-20916 | Python package manager does not correctly restrict the filename specified in a Content-Disposition header, allowing arbitrary file read using path traversal sequences such as "../" |
CVE-2022-31503 | Python package constructs filenames using an unsafe os.path.join call on untrusted input, allowing absolute path traversal because os.path.join resets the pathname to an absolute path that is specified as part of the input. |
CVE-2022-24877 | directory traversal in Go-based Kubernetes operator app allows accessing data from the controller's pod file system via ../ sequences in a yaml file |
CVE-2021-21972 | Chain: Cloud computing virtualization platform does not require authentication for upload of a tar format file (CWE-306), then uses .. path traversal sequences (CWE-23) in the file to access unexpected files, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV. |
CVE-2020-4053 | a Kubernetes package manager written in Go allows malicious plugins to inject path traversal sequences into a plugin archive ("Zip slip") to copy a file outside the intended directory |
CVE-2020-3452 | Chain: security product has improper input validation (CWE-20) leading to directory traversal (CWE-22), as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV. |
CVE-2019-10743 | Go-based archive library allows extraction of files to locations outside of the target folder with "../" path traversal sequences in filenames in a zip file, aka "Zip Slip" |
CVE-2010-0467 | Newsletter module allows reading arbitrary files using "../" sequences. |
CVE-2006-7079 | Chain: PHP app uses extract for register_globals compatibility layer (CWE-621), enabling path traversal (CWE-22) |
CVE-2009-4194 | FTP server allows deletion of arbitrary files using ".." in the DELE command. |
CVE-2009-4053 | FTP server allows creation of arbitrary directories using ".." in the MKD command. |
CVE-2009-0244 | FTP service for a Bluetooth device allows listing of directories, and creation or reading of files using ".." sequences. |
CVE-2009-4013 | Software package maintenance program allows overwriting arbitrary files using "../" sequences. |
CVE-2009-4449 | Bulletin board allows attackers to determine the existence of files using the avatar. |
CVE-2009-4581 | PHP program allows arbitrary code execution using ".." in filenames that are fed to the include() function. |
CVE-2010-0012 | Overwrite of files using a .. in a Torrent file. |
CVE-2010-0013 | Chat program allows overwriting files using a custom smiley request. |
CVE-2008-5748 | Chain: external control of values for user's desired language and theme enables path traversal. |
CVE-2009-1936 | Chain: library file sends a redirect if it is directly requested but continues to execute, allowing remote file inclusion and path traversal. |
Mögliche Gegenmaßnahmen
Phases : ImplementationPhases : 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.
Phases : Implementation
Phases : Architecture and Design
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].
Phases : 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].
Phases : Architecture and Design // Operation
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.
Phases : Architecture and Design
Phases : Architecture and Design // Operation
Phases : Architecture and Design // Operation
Phases : Implementation
Phases : Operation // Implementation
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.
Erkennungsmethoden
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.Wirksamkeit : 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.Wirksamkeit : High
Automated Static Analysis - Binary or Bytecode
Wirksamkeit : HighManual Static Analysis - Binary or Bytecode
Wirksamkeit : SOAR PartialDynamic Analysis with Automated Results Interpretation
Wirksamkeit : HighDynamic Analysis with Manual Results Interpretation
Wirksamkeit : HighManual Static Analysis - Source Code
Wirksamkeit : HighAutomated Static Analysis - Source Code
Wirksamkeit : HighArchitecture or Design Review
Wirksamkeit : HighHinweise zur Schwachstellen-Zuordnung
Begründung : This CWE entry might have children that would be more appropriate.Kommentar : 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.
Verwandte Angriffsmuster
| CAPEC-ID | Name des Angriffsmusters |
|---|---|
| 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. |
Hinweise
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.Pathname equivalence can be regarded as a type of canonicalization error.
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).
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.
Referenzen
REF-7
Writing Secure CodeMichael Howard, David LeBlanc.
https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/writing-secure-code-9780735617223
REF-45
OWASP Enterprise Security API (ESAPI) ProjectOWASP.
https://owasp.org/www-project-enterprise-security-api/
REF-185
Testing for Path Traversal (OWASP-AZ-001)OWASP.
http://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_Path_Traversal_(OWASP-AZ-001)
REF-186
Top 25 Series - Rank 7 - Path TraversalJohannes Ullrich.
https://www.sans.org/blog/top-25-series-rank-7-path-traversal/
REF-76
Least PrivilegeSean Barnum, Michael Gegick.
https://web.archive.org/web/20211209014121/https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/bsi/articles/knowledge/principles/least-privilege
REF-62
The Art of Software Security AssessmentMark Dowd, John McDonald, Justin Schuh.
REF-962
Automated Source Code Security Measure (ASCSM)Object Management Group (OMG).
http://www.omg.org/spec/ASCSM/1.0/
REF-1448
Secure by Design Alert: Eliminating Directory Traversal Vulnerabilities in SoftwareCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/secure-design-alert-eliminating-directory-traversal-vulnerabilities-software
REF-1479
State-of-the-Art Resources (SOAR) for Software Vulnerability Detection, Test, and EvaluationGregory Larsen, E. Kenneth Hong Fong, David A. Wheeler, Rama S. Moorthy.
https://www.ida.org/-/media/feature/publications/s/st/stateoftheart-resources-soar-for-software-vulnerability-detection-test-and-evaluation/p-5061.ashx
REF-1481
D3FEND: Application Layer FirewallD3FEND.
https://d3fend.mitre.org/dao/artifact/d3f:ApplicationLayerFirewall/
REF-1482
D3FEND: D3-TL Trusted LibraryD3FEND.
https://d3fend.mitre.org/technique/d3f:TrustedLibrary/
Einreichung
| Name | Organisation | Datum | Veröffentlichungsdatum | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLOVER | Draft 3 |
Änderungen
| Name | Organisation | Datum | Kommentar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Dalci | Cigital | updated Potential_Mitigations, Time_of_Introduction | |
| Veracode | Suggested OWASP Top Ten 2004 mapping | ||
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Alternate_Terms, Relationships, Other_Notes, Relationship_Notes, Relevant_Properties, Taxonomy_Mappings, Weakness_Ordinalities | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Description | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | 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 | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Description, Detection_Factors, Potential_Mitigations, References, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations, References, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Demonstrative_Examples, References, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Observed_Examples | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Other_Notes, Research_Gaps | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Detection_Factors, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Related_Attack_Patterns | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Demonstrative_Examples | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Affected_Resources, Causal_Nature, Likelihood_of_Exploit, References, Relationships, Relevant_Properties, Taxonomy_Mappings | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated References, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated References, Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships, Type | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Demonstrative_Examples, Potential_Mitigations | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Demonstrative_Examples, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Observed_Examples, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Observed_Examples, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Observed_Examples, References | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Common_Consequences, Description, Detection_Factors | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Demonstrative_Examples, References, Relationships, Time_of_Introduction | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Mapping_Notes, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Observed_Examples | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Common_Consequences, Description, Diagram, Observed_Examples, Other_Notes, References | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Demonstrative_Examples, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Applicable_Platforms, Detection_Factors, Observed_Examples, Potential_Mitigations, References | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Mapping_Notes, Relationships |
