CVE-2005-1493 in SimpleCam
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in SimpleCam 1.2 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a ..\ (dot dot backslash) in the URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2018
The directory traversal vulnerability identified in SimpleCam 1.2 represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to access arbitrary files on the affected system through malformed URL requests containing ..\ sequences. This vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-22, which specifically addresses improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks. The flaw exists in the web application's handling of file paths where input validation is insufficient to prevent attackers from manipulating directory navigation sequences in URLs.
SimpleCam 1.2's web server component fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input that is used to construct file paths for serving content. When a remote attacker crafts a URL containing ..\ sequences, the application processes these traversal characters without adequate validation, allowing the attacker to navigate outside the intended directory structure and access files that should remain restricted. This vulnerability specifically affects the application's ability to properly resolve relative paths and maintain proper directory boundaries during file access operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with unauthorized access to sensitive system files, configuration data, and potentially user information stored on the server. An attacker could exploit this weakness to read system files, access application configuration files, retrieve database connection details, or obtain other sensitive information that could lead to further compromise of the affected system. The vulnerability essentially allows for arbitrary file reading capabilities, making it a severe threat to system confidentiality and data integrity. This type of attack can be particularly dangerous in environments where the web application has access to sensitive data or system resources beyond what is typically expected from a simple camera monitoring application.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include implementing proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms that reject or properly encode directory traversal sequences in user-supplied input. Organizations should ensure that all file path operations validate input against a strict whitelist of allowed characters and prevent the interpretation of ..\ sequences. The application should normalize all file paths and enforce strict directory boundaries to prevent access to files outside the intended web root. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and least privilege principles for web application processes can limit the damage that can be caused by such vulnerabilities. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers the use of directory traversal to access sensitive files, and represents a classic example of how inadequate input validation can lead to severe security consequences in web applications.