Path Traversal Vulnerability

Description

A file is opened to read its content. The filename comes from an input parameter. If an unfiltered parameter is passed to this file API, files from an arbitrary filesystem location could be read.

Examples

Insecure Code

def readFile(filename: String) = {
  val file = new java.io.File(filename)
  // ...
}

Secure Code

def readFile(filename: String) = {
  val basePath = "/allowed/directory/"
  val fileName = java.io.FileNameUtils.getName(filename)
  val file = new java.io.File(basePath + fileName)
  // ...
}

Remediation

Validate and sanitize the input parameter to prevent path traversal attacks. Use a whitelist approach to only allow access to specific directories and files.

Rule Details

Field	Value
ID	CODE-0050
Category	Injection
Severity	MEDIUM
CWE	CWE-22
Confidence	HIGH
Impact	HIGH
Likelihood	MEDIUM
Exploitability	EASY
Tags	path traversal, file inclusion
OWASP	A5:2017-Broken Access Control, A01:2021-Broken Access Control

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