CVE-2017-16096 in serveryaozeyan
Summary
by MITRE
serveryaozeyan is a simple HTTP server. serveryaozeyan is vulnerable to a directory traversal issue, giving an attacker access to the filesystem by placing "../" in the URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/15/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-16096 affects serveryaozeyan, a simple HTTP server implementation that suffers from a critical directory traversal flaw. This issue arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the server's URL handling mechanism, allowing malicious actors to access arbitrary files on the underlying filesystem through crafted requests. The vulnerability stems from the server's failure to properly normalize or validate file paths before processing user-supplied URL parameters, creating an attack surface where directory traversal sequences can be exploited to navigate beyond the intended document root.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-established pattern that aligns with CWE-22, which categorizes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory. Attackers can construct malicious URLs containing "../" sequences to traverse up the directory hierarchy and access files that should remain protected. This flaw essentially allows an attacker to bypass normal access controls and retrieve sensitive information such as configuration files, source code, user data, or system files that are not intended to be publicly accessible through the web server interface. The impact is particularly severe because the vulnerability exists at the core HTTP request processing layer, making it possible to access any file within the server's filesystem permissions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to systems running serveryaozeyan, as it can lead to complete system compromise if sensitive files are accessible through the server. The attack vector is straightforward and requires minimal technical expertise, making it attractive to threat actors across different skill levels. The vulnerability can result in data breaches, intellectual property theft, system reconnaissance, and potentially further exploitation opportunities if the server has access to sensitive system resources. Organizations may experience regulatory compliance violations, reputational damage, and financial losses due to unauthorized access to confidential information through this directory traversal vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-16096 should focus on implementing proper input validation and sanitization measures within the HTTP server's path handling logic. The most effective approach involves normalizing all user-supplied paths by removing or encoding directory traversal sequences before processing requests. System administrators should also implement proper access controls and file permissions to limit what files can be accessed even if traversal attacks succeed. Additionally, deploying web application firewalls and implementing security monitoring can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include updating to patched versions of serveryaozeyan, if available, or implementing custom path validation logic that prevents the processing of any URL containing potentially dangerous path traversal sequences. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to the principle of least privilege when developing web server applications, as outlined in various security frameworks and standards including those referenced in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for web application attacks.