CVE-2023-4914 in cecil
Summary
by MITRE • 09/12/2023
Relative Path Traversal in GitHub repository cecilapp/cecil prior to 7.47.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/14/2026
The vulnerability identified in the cecilapp/cecil repository represents a critical relative path traversal flaw that affects versions prior to 7.47.1. This issue falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-22, which specifically addresses improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory. The vulnerability manifests when the application processes user-supplied input that contains relative path references, allowing attackers to access files outside of the intended directory structure. The flaw occurs in the file handling mechanisms where input validation is insufficient to prevent malicious path manipulation attempts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability enables attackers to exploit the application's file processing routines by crafting malicious input that includes sequences such as "../" or similar path traversal patterns. When the application processes these inputs without proper sanitization, it can navigate to arbitrary directories within the file system. This occurs because the software fails to adequately validate or canonicalize file paths before accessing them, creating an opportunity for unauthorized file access and potential data exposure. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's content management and file processing functionalities.
Operationally, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems running affected versions of cecilapp/cecil. Attackers could potentially access sensitive configuration files, source code, database files, or other system resources that should remain protected. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enabling further exploitation such as arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions. Organizations using this software in production environments face elevated risk of data breaches, especially if the application runs with elevated privileges or has access to sensitive data repositories. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083, which covers discovery of file and directory permissions, and T1566, which addresses credential access through various attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching to version 7.47.1 or later, which includes proper input validation and path canonicalization mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization routines that reject or properly normalize path traversal sequences before processing user-supplied data. Additional protective measures include restricting file system permissions for the application, implementing proper access controls, and conducting thorough security testing of file handling components. The fix should incorporate proper path validation using techniques such as canonical path resolution and ensuring that all file operations occur within designated safe directories. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be performed to identify similar issues in other components of the software stack. System administrators should also monitor for unusual file access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts and maintain up-to-date security monitoring tools to detect potential abuse of this vulnerability.