CVE-2023-37896Network attack vector

Arbitrary file read via relative payload paths

Published Aug 4, 2023 · Updated Oct 8, 2024

Path traversal in the Nuclei Go SDK before 2.9.9 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary local files through custom template payloads. The sandbox payload loader checks unnormalized relative paths against permitted directories instead of first converting them to absolute paths. Exploitation requires an SDK consumer to run attacker-controlled custom templates in sandbox mode; the standalone CLI is unaffected.

CVSS severity5.9
Medium
EPSS probability1.05%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in the Nuclei Go SDK before 2.9.9 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary local files through custom template payloads. The sandbox payload loader checks unnormalized relative paths against permitted directories instead of first converting them to absolute paths. Exploitation requires an SDK consumer to run attacker-controlled custom templates in sandbox mode; the standalone CLI is unaffected.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-37896
Published
Aug 4, 2023
Updated
Oct 8, 2024
Vendor
ProjectDiscovery
Product
Nuclei
Classifications
CWE-22, T1005
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 4, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 8, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <2.9.9
  2. Affected versionversion=< 2.9.9

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

ProjectDiscovery · Nucleiversion=0 <2.9.9; version=< 2.9.9

Published CVSS scores

7.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
5.9GitHubCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
T1005Data from Local System

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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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