CVE-2026-73225 in Electerm
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2026
electerm is an open-sourced terminal/ssh/sftp/telnet/serialport/RDP/VNC/Spice/ftp client. Prior to 3.15.120, electerm allows a malicious FTP or SFTP server to write attacker-controlled content outside the selected download directory because recursive transfers in src/client/components/file-transfer/transfer.jsx pass server-supplied file.name and folder.name values to resolve without sanitization. This issue is fixed in version 3.15.120.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2026
The electerm terminal client presents a critical directory traversal vulnerability that affects versions prior to 3.15.120, specifically within its file transfer functionality supporting multiple protocols including FTP and SFTP. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization when processing recursive transfers, where the application fails to properly validate or sanitize server-supplied file and folder names during the download process. The flaw exists in the src/client/components/file-transfer/transfer.jsx component, which directly passes unvalidated server-provided values to the resolve function without implementing proper path validation mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious FTP or SFTP server provides specially crafted file.name and folder.name values that contain directory traversal sequences such as ../ or ..\ characters. These unfiltered inputs are then processed by the resolve function, allowing attackers to write files outside the intended download directory boundaries. This creates a path traversal condition where attacker-controlled content can be written to arbitrary locations on the victim's filesystem, potentially enabling malicious file injection, privilege escalation, or system compromise. The vulnerability specifically impacts recursive transfer operations where multiple files are downloaded simultaneously, amplifying the attack surface and potential impact.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant security risks to users who frequently interact with untrusted FTP or SFTP servers, particularly in enterprise environments where automated file transfers occur regularly. Attackers can leverage this flaw to overwrite critical system files, inject malicious code into legitimate applications, or establish persistent backdoors through carefully crafted file placements. The impact extends beyond simple data corruption as it potentially enables full system compromise when combined with other attack vectors. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-22 Directory Traversal and follows patterns commonly seen in insecure direct object reference attacks that lack proper input validation. This flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts for privilege escalation scenarios where attackers might use the directory traversal to place malicious files in system directories.
The remediation implemented in version 3.15.120 addresses this vulnerability through comprehensive input sanitization and validation of server-supplied file and folder names before they are processed by the resolve function. The fix ensures that all path components are properly validated against a whitelist of allowed characters and patterns, preventing directory traversal sequences from being interpreted as valid path navigation. Security teams should prioritize immediate deployment of version 3.15.120 across all electerm installations, particularly in environments where users interact with external or untrusted file servers. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect suspicious FTP/SFTP server behaviors and consider additional defensive measures such as restricting file transfer capabilities to trusted internal networks only. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in client-side applications that process data from potentially malicious sources, reinforcing best practices for secure coding standards and proper path handling in file system operations.