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Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

CVE-2007-0450

Severity Medium
Score 5/10

Summary

Directory traversal vulnerability in Apache HTTP Server and Tomcat 5.x before 5.5.22 and 6.x before 6.0.10, when using certain proxy modules (mod_proxy, mod_rewrite, mod_jk), allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) sequence with combinations of (1) "/" (slash), (2) "\" (backslash), and (3) URL-encoded backslash (%5C) characters in the URL, which are valid separators in Tomcat but not in Apache.

  • LOW
  • NETWORK
  • NONE
  • NONE
  • PARTIAL
  • NONE

CWE-22 - Path Traversal

Path traversal (or directory traversal), is a vulnerability that allows malicious users to traverse the server's root directory, gaining access to arbitrary files and folders such as application code & data, back-end credentials, and sensitive operating system files. In the worst-case scenario, an attacker could potentially execute arbitrary files on the server, resulting in a denial of service attack. Such an exploit may severely impact the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of an application.

Advisory Timeline

  • Published