Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessOperate malicious RansomLook upstream instance
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DeliveryCraft post with traversal screen value
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ExploitVictim operator runs federation import
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ExecutionTraversal path stored in victim database
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PersistAttacker calls GroupPost.get API
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ImpactVictim reads and returns arbitrary file Base64-encoded
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The primary attack path requires the victim RansomLook instance to import post data from an attacker-controlled upstream instance via the tools/import_from_instance.py federation mechanism; the upstream does not require any account on the victim instance. The secondary attack path requires the attacker to hold admin-level credentials on the victim instance to manually set a malicious screen value via the post editor. Exploitation is further limited to: RansomLook versions 0 through 2.0.0; files accessible to the OS user running the RansomLook process; and deployments where the GroupPost.get API endpoint is reachable by the attacker after the poisoned post is stored. The federation import path is not a default-on feature - it must be deliberately invoked by an operator - which reduces exposure compared to a fully passive attack surface, but is commonly used in community threat-intelligence sharing deployments. |
| Impact | The provided CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N, score 8.2) accurately reflects the primary attack surface: network-accessible, low complexity, but requiring high privileges in the conventional single-instance sense. The PR:H rating deserves careful interpretation - direct exploitation via the admin post editor requires administrative credentials on the victim instance, but the federation import path allows a malicious upstream instance to write traversal values into the victim's database without any account on the victim, lowering the effective barrier for federated deployments. SC:H (subsequent system high confidentiality impact) is well-justified because arbitrary file read can surface credentials, private keys, and secrets held by other co-located services accessible to the RansomLook OS user. No EPSS data was provided; the vulnerability is absent from CISA KEV; no public exploit code has been identified. Real-world risk is highest for multi-instance RansomLook deployments that consume data from external or community-operated upstream nodes, where the PR:H constraint is effectively weakened by the federated trust model. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker operates a RansomLook instance and crafts a group post with the screen field set to a path traversal string such as ../../../../home/ransomlook/config/generic.json. When the victim's RansomLook operator runs tools/import_from_instance.py against the attacker's upstream, the malicious screen value is written verbatim into the victim's database. Any subsequent call to the GroupPost.get API endpoint for that post causes the victim's server to resolve the attacker-controlled path, read the target file, and return its contents Base64-encoded in the JSON response - exposing configuration secrets, API keys, or password hashes to the attacker. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 24, 2026
Path traversal in RansomLook's GroupPost.get API handler allows an attacker controlling a malicious upstream instance to exfiltrate arbitrary files readable by the RansomLook process, including configuration secrets and API credentials. The screen field stored in the database is concatenated directly with the application's source/ directory path without boundary validation, enabling traversal sequences such as ../config/generic.json to escape the intended directory. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, but the federation import mechanism means a compromised upstream instance can poison a victim's database without holding any account on the victim system.
RemediationAI
Apply the upstream fix at commit 274faccf65898e88ef54f35f304e0821a852a0b8 (https://github.com/RansomLook/RansomLook/commit/274faccf65898e88ef54f35f304e0821a852a0b8), which patches both website/web/api/genericapi.py and website/web/__init__.py with the _source_path() validation function. A specific tagged release version has not been confirmed beyond the commit itself; operators should update to the latest HEAD or contact CIRCL maintainers for a patched release. As a compensating control before patching, disable or restrict the tools/import_from_instance.py federation import feature to eliminate the unauthenticated-upstream attack vector - this removes the ability for a remote instance to inject traversal values without needing admin credentials on the victim, at the cost of losing cross-instance data synchronization. Additionally, run the RansomLook process under a dedicated OS user with the minimum filesystem permissions needed, so that even a successful traversal read is limited to files that user can access.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
RansomLook (cpe:2.3:a:ransomlook:ransomlook:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is a threat intelligence platform developed by CIRCL for tracking ransomware group activity. The root cause is CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory): in website/web/api/genericapi.py, the GroupPost.get handler constructed the file path as str(get_homedir()) + '/source/' + post['screen'] and passed the result directly to os.path.exists() and open() without any normalization or containment check. The screen field originates from either the admin post editor or from tools/import_from_instance.py, which writes remote instance JSON verbatim into the local database, creating an indirect write path that bypasses any local access controls. The fix introduces a _source_path() helper in both the web UI module and the API module that calls os.path.realpath() on both the base directory and the candidate target, then verifies the target path starts with the canonicalized base plus a path separator - defeating both lexical traversal sequences and symlink-based bypasses that purely lexical normalization would miss.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N
Network-accessible API, low complexity post-poisoning; PR:H for admin or upstream-trust requirement; scope change because reads escape the application's source/ boundary into host filesystem secrets.
Primary rating from Vendor (CIRCL).
CVSS VectorVendor: CIRCL
DescriptionCVE.org
RansomLook contains a path traversal vulnerability in the handling of the screen field associated with group posts. The GroupPost.get API handler concatenates the database-controlled screen value directly with the application's source/ directory and opens the resulting path without verifying that the resolved file remains within the intended directory.
Because the screen field is free-form and can be populated either through the administrative post editor or through data imported from a remote RansomLook instance, a malicious upstream instance can provide traversal sequences such as ../config/generic.json. When the affected post is subsequently retrieved through the API, RansomLook resolves and reads the attacker-controlled path and returns the contents of the referenced file Base64-encoded in the API response.
This can allow an attacker (being admin) controlling imported post data to read arbitrary files accessible to the RansomLook process, potentially exposing sensitive configuration data, API credentials, password hashes, or other application secrets. The attack does not require the malicious upstream to possess an account on the affected RansomLook instance.
The vulnerability is addressed by resolving screen paths with os.path.realpath() and verifying that the resolved path remains beneath the application's source/ directory. Validation is performed both when values are written and immediately before files are read. Using canonical paths also prevents traversal through symbolic links that would bypass purely lexical path normalization checks.
Executive ViewAI
RansomLook's GroupPost.get API contains a path traversal vulnerability (CVSS 8.2) that enables credential and configuration file theft. Attackers operating a malicious federated upstream instance can exfiltrate secrets and API credentials from victim deployments without needing direct account access, creating a supply-chain style compromise vector.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
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EUVD-2026-64859
GHSA-8f7x-5f58-rfpw
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB