Path traversal in Etherpad

1) Path traversal

EUVDB-ID: #VU38721

Risk: Medium

CVSSv3.1: 6.5 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2015-3297

CWE-ID: CWE-22 - Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform directory traversal attacks.

The vulnerability exists due to input validation error when processing directory traversal sequences in node/utils/Minify.js in Etherpad 1.1.1 through 1.5.2. A remote authenticated attacker can send a specially crafted HTTP request and remote attackers to read arbitrary files by leveraging replacement of backslashes with slashes in the path parameter of HTTP API requests.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Etherpad: 1.1.1 - 1.5.2

External links

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/04/11/1
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/04/12/1
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/74056
http://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/commit/9d4e5f6

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.