CVE-2026-115194 in Mautic
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2026
A path traversal vulnerability exists in the Mautic Asset API. When creating a local asset through the API, the supplied file path is not restricted to the asset upload directory. An authenticated API user with permission to create assets can register any file that is readable by the web server process as a Mautic asset. When the asset is published, its public download URL serves the contents of that file without authentication. This allows the attacker to read arbitrary files from the server, including Mautic configuration files containing the database password, secret key, and mail (SMTP) credentials, as well as system files and any other file readable by the web server user. Exposed credentials can be used to access the database or other connected services, and anyone with the public asset URL can retrieve the file contents.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2026
The vulnerability identified in Mautic represents a critical path traversal flaw within its Asset API functionality, specifically affecting the process of creating local assets through programmatic interfaces. This security defect stems from an insufficient validation mechanism when handling user-supplied file paths during asset registration. Instead of restricting input to a predefined and secure upload directory, the application fails to sanitize or canonicalize the provided path string. Consequently, an authenticated API user possessing the necessary permissions to create assets can manipulate this parameter to reference arbitrary locations on the underlying server filesystem. This lack of strict boundary enforcement allows the attacker to bypass intended access controls by utilizing standard traversal sequences such as dot-dot-slash combinations to navigate up directory levels and reach sensitive areas outside the designated web root or upload folders.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, primarily due to the subsequent behavior when an asset is published within the Mautic platform. Once a file path pointing to a system resource is registered via the API, the application generates a public download URL for that asset without performing any additional authentication checks at the time of retrieval. This means that anyone possessing this generated URL can access and retrieve the contents of the targeted file directly through their web browser or automated scripts. The scope of accessible data includes highly sensitive configuration files such as Mautic's config.php, which typically contains database connection strings with plaintext passwords, application secret keys used for cryptographic operations, and SMTP credentials for email services. Additionally, any other file readable by the user account under which the web server process operates is potentially exfiltrable, including system logs, environment variables, or source code from adjacent applications hosted on the same infrastructure.
From a technical classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, commonly known as path traversal. The exploitation chain also involves aspects of CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials if the attacker leverages extracted database or SMTP credentials for further unauthorized access. In terms of adversary tactics, this behavior corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1083: File and Directory Discovery, followed by T1530: Data from Local System, as it enables an actor to enumerate and exfiltrate sensitive data stored locally on the compromised server. The severity is compounded by the fact that authentication is only required for the initial API call, while the actual data leakage occurs via a publicly accessible endpoint, effectively turning internal configuration secrets into public information.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. Immediate actions should include applying vendor-provided patches or updates that enforce strict path validation on all asset creation endpoints. Developers must implement canonicalization of file paths to resolve any symbolic links or relative references before checking them against an allow-listed directory structure. It is critical to ensure that the web server process runs with minimal privileges, adhering to the principle of least privilege, so that even if traversal occurs, the attacker cannot access files outside a restricted chroot environment or user-specific home directories. Furthermore, sensitive configuration data should never be stored in plaintext within accessible file structures; instead, secret management solutions such as HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager should be utilized to decouple credentials from application code and configuration files. Regular security audits of API endpoints are recommended to detect similar input validation weaknesses across other modules before they can be exploited by malicious actors seeking initial footholds for broader system compromise.