CVE-2024-6985 in lollms-webui
Summary
by MITRE • 10/11/2024
A path traversal vulnerability exists in the api open_personality_folder endpoint of parisneo/lollms-webui. This vulnerability allows an attacker to read any folder in the personality_folder on the victim's computer, even though sanitize_path is set. The issue arises due to improper sanitization of the personality_folder parameter, which can be exploited to traverse directories and access arbitrary files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-6985 represents a critical path traversal flaw within the parisneo/lollms-webui application's api open_personality_folder endpoint. This security weakness fundamentally compromises the application's ability to properly validate and restrict file system access, creating a significant risk for unauthorized data exposure and system compromise. The vulnerability specifically targets the personality_folder parameter handling mechanism, which is designed to sanitize user input but fails to adequately prevent malicious path manipulation attempts. The flaw exists despite the presence of a sanitize_path function, indicating a critical oversight in the input validation implementation that allows attackers to bypass intended security controls.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of the personality_folder parameter, which enables attackers to craft malicious requests that traverse directory structures beyond the intended scope. When an attacker submits a crafted path traversal payload to the open_personality_folder endpoint, the application fails to properly validate the input against a comprehensive set of security checks. This allows attackers to manipulate the path traversal mechanism and access arbitrary files on the victim's system, potentially exposing sensitive data, configuration files, or system resources that should remain protected. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through standard web request mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no special privileges or advanced techniques to exploit.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-6985 extends beyond simple unauthorized file access, as it can lead to complete system compromise and data exfiltration. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can potentially access not only personality folder contents but also other system directories that may contain sensitive information such as user credentials, application configuration files, or system logs. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-22 Path Traversal and follows attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1083 File and Directory Discovery and T1566 Phishing. Organizations running the parisneo/lollms-webui application are at risk of unauthorized data access, potential privilege escalation, and exposure of sensitive information that could be used for further attacks or system compromise. The vulnerability essentially undermines the application's security model and creates a persistent threat vector that remains active as long as the vulnerable component exists.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-6985 should focus on implementing robust input validation and sanitization mechanisms that properly restrict path traversal attempts. Organizations should immediately update to patched versions of the parisneo/lollms-webui application where available, as this represents a critical security flaw that requires immediate attention. The implementation of proper path validation should include absolute path resolution, comprehensive blacklist filtering, and strict whitelisting of allowed directories. Security measures should also incorporate proper access controls and least privilege principles to minimize the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts, while conducting thorough security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components that may be susceptible to the same class of attacks.