CVE-2021-43495 in AlquistManager
Summary
by MITRE • 11/17/2021
AlquistManager branch as of commit 280d99f43b11378212652e75f6f3159cde9c1d36 is affected by a directory traversal vulnerability in alquist/IO/input.py. This attack can cause the disclosure of critical secrets stored anywhere on the system and can significantly aid in getting remote code access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-43495 represents a critical directory traversal flaw within the AlquistManager application's input handling mechanism. This security weakness resides in the alquist/IO/input.py module and stems from improper validation of user-supplied input paths that are processed without adequate sanitization or restriction. The affected version of the software maintains a commit hash of 280d99f43b11378212652e75f6f3159cde9c1d36, indicating this vulnerability exists in a specific codebase state that has not been properly patched or secured against malicious path manipulation attempts. The directory traversal vulnerability allows an attacker to access files and directories beyond the intended scope of the application's file system access controls.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of input parameters that are processed by the vulnerable input.py module. When user-provided data containing directory traversal sequences such as ../ or ..\ is accepted and processed without proper validation, attackers can navigate the file system to access sensitive resources that should remain restricted. This flaw directly enables unauthorized access to critical system secrets, configuration files, and potentially sensitive data stored anywhere within the system's file hierarchy. The vulnerability operates at the file system level where the application's input handling does not properly sanitize or validate path components, allowing attackers to bypass normal access controls and retrieve files that contain authentication credentials, encryption keys, or other sensitive information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to enable more sophisticated attack vectors including remote code execution. By gaining access to critical system secrets and configuration files, attackers can establish persistent access to the target system and potentially escalate privileges to achieve full system compromise. The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to obtain authentication tokens, database connection strings, API keys, and other sensitive data that could be used to further compromise the system or attack other connected services. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal vulnerabilities. The attack pattern follows typical exploitation techniques documented in the ATT&CK framework under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential access, where attackers leverage path traversal to obtain system-level access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-43495 require immediate implementation of proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the application's file handling processes. The most effective approach involves implementing strict path validation that rejects any input containing directory traversal sequences or components that would allow navigation outside of intended directories. Organizations should enforce principle of least privilege access controls and implement proper file system access restrictions to limit the damage that could occur even if the vulnerability is exploited. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application, particularly in any modules that handle file system operations or user-supplied input. Additionally, deployment of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability pattern. The remediation process should include updating to patched versions of AlquistManager and implementing comprehensive logging of file access operations to detect unauthorized access attempts.