CVE-2026-37066 in File Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 08/27/2026
Path traversal leading to Arbitrary File Read in /vfm-admin/index.php and /vfm-admin/ajax/streamvid.php in Veno File Manager Project 4.4.9 allows and authenticated attacker with super administrator role to disclose sensitive information via two specially crafted http requests (POST and GET) to the affected endpoints.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2026
The vulnerability identified within the Veno File Manager Project version 4.4.9 represents a critical path traversal flaw that enables unauthorized access to restricted system files, classified under CWE-22 as Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory. This security defect is present in two specific endpoints: /vfm-admin/index.php and /vfm-admin/ajax/streamvid.php. The core technical issue stems from insufficient validation or sanitization of user-supplied input parameters that dictate file paths. When an attacker constructs HTTP requests containing directory traversal sequences, such as ../, the application fails to properly restrict access to the intended document root, allowing the request to escape the designated directory structure and resolve to arbitrary locations on the underlying operating system filesystem.
Although this vulnerability requires authentication with a super administrator role, it remains highly dangerous due to the elevated privileges associated with that account level. An authenticated attacker can exploit these endpoints by sending specially crafted POST requests to /vfm-admin/ajax/streamvid.php or GET requests to /vfm-admin/index.php. By manipulating parameters such as file paths or stream identifiers within these requests, the attacker forces the application to read and return content from sensitive files outside of the web root. This capability directly facilitates Arbitrary File Read attacks, which are frequently leveraged in subsequent stages of an attack chain to gather intelligence about the server environment, including configuration files that may contain database credentials, API keys, or other secrets necessary for further exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data disclosure. Access to sensitive system files can lead to a complete compromise of the application's integrity and confidentiality. Attackers can extract source code to identify additional vulnerabilities, read environment variables to gain access to cloud services or internal networks, or retrieve log files that may reveal user credentials or session tokens. In the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this behavior aligns with T1083 File and Directory Discovery and T1530 Data from Local System, as it allows an adversary to explore and exfiltrate data stored on local systems without direct command execution capabilities. The ability to read arbitrary files effectively bypasses access controls intended to isolate web application resources from the broader server infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies must focus on strict input validation and secure coding practices within the affected PHP scripts. Developers should implement a whitelist approach for file paths, ensuring that only predefined, safe filenames or directories are processed by the application logic rather than relying solely on blacklist filters which can be bypassed using encoding tricks or alternative traversal sequences. Additionally, employing chroot jails or containerization to limit the filesystem visibility of the web server process can reduce the blast radius if such a vulnerability is exploited in production environments. It is also recommended to enforce principle of least privilege by ensuring that even super administrator accounts do not have unnecessary read access to sensitive system directories unless explicitly required for core functionality, and to apply regular security patches as soon as vendors release updates addressing this specific path traversal issue.