CVE-2007-5845 in GuppY
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in error.php in GuppY 4.6.3, 4.5.16, and earlier allows remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files via a .. (dot dot) in the id parameter. NOTE: this can be leveraged to bypass authentication and upload arbitrary files by including admin/inc/upload.inc and specifying certain multipart/form-data input for admin/inc/upload.inc.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-5845 represents a critical directory traversal flaw within the GuppY content management system versions 4.6.3 and earlier, as well as 4.5.16 and prior releases. This directory traversal vulnerability exists in the error.php script and allows remote attackers to manipulate file inclusion mechanisms through improper input validation. The flaw specifically manifests when the id parameter contains .. (dot dot) sequences that enable attackers to navigate outside the intended directory structure and access arbitrary local files on the server. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-22, which defines improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the lack of proper input sanitization in the error.php script where user-supplied input from the id parameter is directly used in file inclusion operations without adequate validation or filtering. When an attacker submits a malicious id parameter containing directory traversal sequences such as ../../etc/passwd or similar paths, the application fails to properly validate the input and instead processes these sequences as legitimate file paths. This allows attackers to include and execute arbitrary local files on the server, effectively bypassing normal file access controls and potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive system resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file disclosure, as it can be leveraged to bypass authentication mechanisms and perform unauthorized administrative actions. Attackers can specifically target the admin/inc/upload.inc file by including it through the directory traversal exploit, which then allows them to manipulate multipart/form-data input parameters. This capability enables attackers to upload arbitrary files to the server, effectively transforming a simple directory traversal vulnerability into a full remote code execution threat. The exploitation chain demonstrates how directory traversal vulnerabilities can be chained with other attack vectors to achieve more severe consequences, including complete system compromise.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of insufficient input validation and inadequate access controls in web applications. The attack pattern aligns with techniques documented in the attack tree methodology, where path traversal serves as a foundational primitive that can be combined with other exploits to achieve privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution. Organizations using affected GuppY versions should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, proper parameter sanitization, and the removal of vulnerable file inclusion mechanisms. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper access control mechanisms, particularly when dealing with user-supplied input in file operations. Additionally, this vulnerability demonstrates the critical need for regular security assessments and patch management to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities that may have remained unaddressed for extended periods.