CVE-2022-1850 in filegator
Summary
by MITRE • 05/24/2022
Path Traversal in GitHub repository filegator/filegator prior to 7.8.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2022-1850 represents a path traversal flaw discovered in the filegator/filegator repository prior to version 7.8.0, constituting a critical security weakness that allows unauthorized access to arbitrary files on the server. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category 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 manifests when the application fails to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied input that is used to construct file paths, enabling attackers to navigate beyond the intended directory structure and access sensitive files that should remain restricted.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the file management functionality of the FileGator application, where user input containing directory traversal sequences such as ../ or ..\ is not adequately filtered or sanitized before being processed. When an attacker crafts malicious requests with these traversal sequences in file path parameters, the application interprets them as legitimate navigation commands, allowing access to files outside the designated web root or user-accessible directories. This flaw particularly affects file operations that involve listing, reading, or manipulating files, as the vulnerable code path does not properly enforce access controls or validate the absolute path construction against the intended directory boundaries.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-1850 extends beyond simple unauthorized file access, as attackers can potentially retrieve sensitive configuration files, database credentials, application source code, or other confidential data stored on the server. This vulnerability can be exploited to gain insights into the application's architecture, identify additional attack vectors, and potentially escalate privileges within the system. The threat landscape for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083, which describes discovery of file and directory permissions, and T1566, which covers credential access through various means including file system exploitation. Organizations running affected versions of FileGator are particularly vulnerable to data breaches, as the attack surface includes not only user files but also system configuration and application-specific sensitive information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate remediation through upgrading to FileGator version 7.8.0 or later, which includes proper input validation and path sanitization mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input filtering that strips or encodes potentially dangerous sequences, enforce strict access controls, and conduct regular security audits of file handling operations. The implementation of secure coding practices including parameterized queries, proper path validation, and the principle of least privilege should be enforced. Additionally, network segmentation, web application firewalls, and monitoring systems should be deployed to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Security teams should also perform regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses in other applications and systems, as path traversal vulnerabilities often occur in file management components across various platforms and technologies.