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

CVE-2018-11759

High
7.5/10

Summary

The Apache Web Server (httpd) specific code that normalised the requested path before matching it to the URI-worker map in Apache Tomcat JK (mod_jk) Connector 1.2.0 to 1.2.44 did not handle some edge cases correctly. If only a sub-set of the URLs supported by Tomcat were exposed via httpd, then it was possible for a specially constructed request to expose application functionality through the reverse proxy that was not intended for clients accessing the application via the reverse proxy. It was also possible in some configurations for a specially constructed request to bypass the access controls configured in httpd. While there is some overlap between this issue and CVE-2018-1323, they are not identical.

  • LOW
  • NETWORK
  • NONE
  • UNCHANGED
  • NONE
  • NONE
  • HIGH
  • 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.

References

Advisory Timeline

  • Published