Path traversal in Sphinx - CVE-2020-29050

Detailed vulnerability description

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

The vulnerability exists due to input validation error when processing directory traversal sequences, because the mysql client can be used for CALL SNIPPETS and load_file operations on a full pathname (e.g., a file in the /etc directory). A remote user can send a specially crafted HTTP request and read arbitrary files on the system.

Please note, the affected version does not require authentication by default (see vulnerability #VU59363) and therefore the vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker in the default configuration.

How to mitigate CVE-2020-29050

Sources

• https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2020-29050
• https://blog.wirhabenstil.de/2019/08/19/sphinxsearch-0-0-0-09306-cve-2019-14511/