Unauthenticated theme-file disclosure via encoded traversal
Published May 5, 2023 · Updated Jan 29, 2025
Path traversal in Ghost before 5.42.1 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files from the active theme directory via crafted asset URLs. The static-theme.js isAllowedFile check examines the encoded request path before normalization, so encoded separators conceal parent-directory segments that Express later resolves. No authentication or user interaction is required, but disclosure is confined to files within the active theme's folder.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in Ghost before 5.42.1 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files from the active theme directory via crafted asset URLs. The static-theme.js isAllowedFile check examines the encoded request path before normalization, so encoded separators conceal parent-directory segments that Express later resolves. No authentication or user interaction is required, but disclosure is confined to files within the active theme's folder.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-32235
- Published
- May 5, 2023
- Updated
- Jan 29, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-22, T1005
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 5, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 29, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Ghost Path Traversal proof of conceptproof of concept · unverified
- Ghost CMS 5.42.1 - Path Traversalfunctional · unverified
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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