Path Traversal
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
How It Works
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation. Attackers inject special sequences like ../ (dot-dot-slash) to escape the intended directory and navigate to arbitrary locations in the file system. Each ../ sequence moves up one directory level, allowing an attacker to break out of a restricted folder and access sensitive files elsewhere on the server.
Attackers employ various encoding techniques to bypass basic filters. Simple URL encoding transforms ../ into %2e%2e%2f, while double encoding becomes %252e%252e%252f (encoding the percent sign itself). Other evasion methods include nested sequences like ....// (which become ../ after filter removal), null byte injection (%00 to truncate path validation), and OS-specific path separators (backslashes on Windows). Absolute paths like /etc/passwd may also work if the application doesn't enforce relative path constraints.
The typical attack flow begins with identifying input parameters that reference files—such as file=, path=, template=, or page=. The attacker then tests various traversal payloads to determine if path validation exists and what depth is needed to reach system files. Success means reading configuration files, credentials, source code, or even writing malicious files if the application allows file uploads or modifications.
Impact
- Credential exposure: Access to configuration files containing database passwords, API keys, and authentication tokens
- Source code disclosure: Reading application code reveals business logic, additional vulnerabilities, and hardcoded secrets
- System file access: Retrieving
/etc/passwd,/etc/shadow, or Windows SAM files for credential cracking - Configuration tampering: If write access exists, attackers modify settings or inject malicious code
- Remote code execution: Writing web shells or executable files to web-accessible directories enables full system compromise
Real-World Examples
ZendTo file sharing application (CVE-2025-34508) contained a path traversal vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files from the server. The flaw existed in file retrieval functionality where user input directly influenced file path construction without adequate validation, exposing sensitive configuration data and potentially system files.
Web application frameworks frequently suffer from path traversal in template rendering engines. When applications allow users to specify template names or include files, insufficient validation permits attackers to read source code from other application modules or framework configuration files, revealing database credentials and session secrets.
File download features in content management systems represent another common vector. Applications that serve user-requested files from disk often fail to restrict paths properly, enabling attackers to download backup files, logs containing sensitive data, or administrative scripts that weren't intended for public access.
Mitigation
- Avoid user input in file paths: Use indirect references like database IDs mapped to filenames on the server side
- Canonicalize and validate: Convert paths to absolute canonical form, then verify they remain within the allowed base directory
- Allowlist permitted files: Maintain an explicit list of accessible files rather than trying to blocklist malicious patterns
- Chroot jails or sandboxing: Restrict application file system access to specific directories at the OS level
- Strip dangerous sequences: Remove
../,..\\, and encoded variants, though this alone is insufficient
Recent CVEs (8648)
A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in Tsinghua Unigroup Electronic Archives System 3.2.210802(62532). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in Dahua IPC-HFW1200S, IPC-HFW2300R-Z, IPC-HFW5220E-Z and IPC-HDW1200S up to 20241222. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Engineering Lifecycle Optimization - Publishing 7.0.2 and 7.0.3 could allow a remote attacker to traverse directories on the system. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Karmada is a Kubernetes management system that allows users to run cloud-native applications across multiple Kubernetes clusters and clouds. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
GoCD is a continuous deliver server. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. This XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability could allow attackers to read arbitrary files or perform SSRF through XML processing.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Webdeclic WPMasterToolKit allows Path Traversal.13.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
path-sanitizer is a simple lightweight npm package for sanitizing paths to prevent Path Traversal. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A widget local file inclusion vulnerability in Trend Micro Apex One could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on affected installations. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal: '.../...//' vulnerability in VibeThemes WPLMS wplms_plugin allows Path Traversal.9.9.5. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In WhatsUp Gold versions released before 2024.0.2, an authenticated user can use a specially crafted HTTP request that can lead to information disclosure. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal: '.../...//' vulnerability in DeluxeThemes Userpro userpro allows Path Traversal.1.9. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal: '.../...//' vulnerability in Arraytics Eventin wp-event-solution allows Path Traversal.0.7. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
iXsystems TrueNAS CORE tarfile.extractall Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Some Huawei home music system products have a path traversal vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Kurmi Provisioning Suite before 7.9.0.35, 7.10.x through 7.10.0.18, and 7.11.x through 7.11.0.15. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Kurmi Provisioning Suite before 7.9.0.35 and 7.10.x through 7.10.0.18. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
changedetection.io is a free open source web page change detection, website watcher, restock monitor and notification service. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei Home Music System has a path traversal vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Database Backup and check Tables Automated With Scheduler 2024 plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.32 via the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Team ENVY, a Security Research TEAM has found a flaw that allows for a remote code execution on the NVR. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ColdFusion versions 2023.11, 2021.17 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Gogs is an open source self-hosted Git service. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Gogs is an open source self-hosted Git service. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
A vulnerability was found in Intelbras VIP S3020 G2, VIP S4020 G2, VIP S4020 G3 and VIP S4320 G2 up to 20241222. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Easy Digital Downloads - eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.2 via the file download. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Uptime Kuma is an open source, self-hosted monitoring tool. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal vulnerability in the eSignaViewer component in eSigna product versions 1.0 to 1.5 on all platforms allow an unauthenticated attacker to access arbitrary files in the document system. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
A logic issue was addressed with improved validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Arista NG Firewall custom_handler Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Applications serving static resources through the functional web frameworks WebMvc.fn or WebFlux.fn are vulnerable to path traversal attacks. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in PbootCMS up to 5.2.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal: '.../...//' vulnerability in VibeThemes WPLMS wplms_plugin allows Path Traversal.9.9.5.2. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal: '.../...//' vulnerability in VibeThemes WPLMS wplms_plugin allows Path Traversal.9.9.5.2. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Versions of the package spatie/browsershot before 5.0.2 are vulnerable to Directory Traversal due to URI normalisation in the browser where the file:// check can be bypassed with file:\\. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
pghoard is a PostgreSQL backup daemon and restore tooling that stores backup data in cloud object stores. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in Raisecom MSG1200, MSG2100E, MSG2200, and MSG2300 v3.90. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in Raisecom MSG1200, MSG2100E, MSG2200, and MSG2300 3.90. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in Raisecom MSG1200, MSG2100E, MSG2200, and MSG2300 3.90. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in boldthemes Bold Page Builder bold-page-builder allows Path Traversal.1.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Filippo Bodei WP Cookies Enabler wp-cookies-enabler allows PHP Local File Inclusion.0.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Sabri Woolook woolook allows PHP Local File Inclusion.7.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Sabri Sogrid sogrid allows PHP Local File Inclusion.5.6. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Epss exploitation probability 16.3% and no vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Chris Gardenberg EduAdmin Booking eduadmin-booking allows PHP Local File Inclusion.2.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in InvoicePlane up to 1.6.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The topm-client from Chunghwa Telecom has an Arbitrary File Delete vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The topm-client from Chunghwa Telecom has an Arbitrary File Read vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The tbm-client from Chunghwa Telecom has an Arbitrary File vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The tbm-client from Chunghwa Telecom has an Arbitrary File Delete vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
TenderDocTransfer from Chunghwa Telecom has an Arbitrary File Write vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
File Manager in Syncfusion Essential Studio for ASP.NET MVC before 27.1.55 has a traversal issue that is related to the request parameter, aka I644734. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal: '.../...//' vulnerability in FULL. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in DELUCKS DELUCKS SEO delucks-seo allows Path Traversal.7.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in PlexTrac allows arbitrary file writes.61.3 before 2.8.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in PlexTrac allows arbitrary file writes.61.3 before 2.8.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ComfyUI-Impact-Pack is vulnerable to Path Traversal. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in GitLab affecting all versions starting 15.2 to 17.4.6, 17.5 prior to 17.5.4, and 17.6 prior to 17.6.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
File replacement vulnerability on some devices Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability will affect integrity and confidentiality. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
SiYuan is a personal knowledge management system. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Path Traversal vulnerability could allow attackers to access files and directories outside the intended path.
SiYuan is a personal knowledge management system. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Path Traversal vulnerability could allow attackers to access files and directories outside the intended path.
SiYuan is a personal knowledge management system. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Path Traversal vulnerability could allow attackers to access files and directories outside the intended path.
A path handling issue was addressed with improved validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
python-libarchive through 4.2.1 allows directory traversal (to create files) in extract in zip.py for ZipFile.extractall and ZipFile.extract. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows File Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in cjbi wetech-cms 1.0/1.1/1.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
PwnDoc is a penetration test report generator. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
SolarWinds Web Help Desk was susceptible to a local file read vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The System Dashboard WordPress plugin before 2.8.15 does not validate user input used in a path, which could allow high privilege users such as admin to perform path traversal attacks an read. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Digi ConnectPort LTS before 1.4.12. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Digi ConnectPort LTS before 1.4.12. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Ogun Labs Lenxel Core for Lenxel(LNX) LMS lenxel-core allows PHP Local File Inclusion.3.9. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
The FileOrganizer - Manage WordPress and Website Files plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local JavaScript File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.4 via the 'default_lang'. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal: '.../...//' vulnerability in reputeinfosystems ARForms arforms allows Path Traversal.4.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Swift Performance Lite plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local PHP File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 2.3.7.1 via the 'ajaxify' function. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The WP Hide & Security Enhancer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file contents deletion due to a missing authorization and insufficient file path validation in the file-process.php in. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
JSFinder commit d70ab9bc5221e016c08cffaf0d9ac79646c90645 is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in the find_by_file function. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In OpenBSD 7.5 before errata 009 and OpenBSD 7.4 before errata 022, exclude any '/' in readdir name validation to avoid unexpected directory traversal on untrusted file systems. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Path Traversal vulnerability could allow attackers to access files and directories outside the intended path.
Favorites-web 1.3.0 favorites-web has a directory traversal vulnerability in SecurityFilter.java. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Configuration Download vulnerabilities allow access to dependency configuration information. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ZOO-Project is a C-based WPS (Web Processing Service) implementation. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The GitHub CLI is GitHub’s official command line tool. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
In JetBrains YouTrack before 2024.3.51866 system takeover was possible through path traversal in plugin sandbox. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Classic Addons - WPBakery Page Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Limited Local PHP File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 3.0 via the 'style' parameter. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in OTP reset functionality in Synology Router Manager (SRM) before 1.3.1-9346-9 allows remote. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path traversal in Quick Share Agent prior to version 3.5.14.47 in Android 12, 3.5.19.41 in Android 13, and 3.5.19.42 in Android 14 allows adjacent attackers to write file in arbitrary location. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal in ThemeCenter prior to SMR Dec-2024 Release 1 allows physical attackers to copy apk files to arbitrary path with ThemeCenter privilege. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sandboxie is a sandbox-based isolation software for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows NT-based operating systems. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Absolute path traversal vulnerability in Quick.CMS, version 6.7, the exploitation of which could allow remote users to bypass the intended restrictions and download any file if it has the appropriate. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in ESM 11.6.10 allows unauthenticated access to the internal Snowservice API. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
DreamMaker from Interinfo has a Path Traversal vulnerability and does not restrict the types of uploaded files. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
DreamMaker from Interinfo has a Path Traversal vulnerability, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary system files. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- HIGH
- Category
- web
- Total CVEs
- 8648