CVE-2023-40828Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Arbitrary file write via crafted ZIP paths

Published Aug 28, 2023 · Updated Oct 2, 2024

Path traversal in PF4J 3.9.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to write files outside the plugin directory via a crafted ZIP archive. Unzip.extract joins each ZipEntry name to the destination and writes the resulting path without first verifying that its canonical path remains inside that directory. Exploitation requires a consuming application to pass an attacker-controlled plugin archive to PF4J; files writable by the host process can be replaced, while code execution requires a written file to reach a location the host later loads or executes.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability1.47%
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 PF4J 3.9.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to write files outside the plugin directory via a crafted ZIP archive. Unzip.extract joins each ZipEntry name to the destination and writes the resulting path without first verifying that its canonical path remains inside that directory. Exploitation requires a consuming application to pass an attacker-controlled plugin archive to PF4J; files writable by the host process can be replaced, while code execution requires a written file to reach a location the host later loads or executes.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-40828
Published
Aug 28, 2023
Updated
Oct 2, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-22, T1190
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 28, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 2, 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?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

9.8IBMCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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 exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application

Public exploit references

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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