CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

ID CWE-22

Abstraction Base

Structure Simple

Status Stable

Number of CVEs 6317

The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

Many file operations are intended to take place within a restricted directory. By using special elements such as ".." and "/" separators, attackers can escape outside of the restricted location to access files or directories that are elsewhere on the system. One of the most common special elements is the "../" sequence, which in most modern operating systems is interpreted as the parent directory of the current location. This is referred to as relative path traversal. Path traversal also covers the use of absolute pathnames such as "/usr/local/bin" to access unexpected files. This is referred to as absolute path traversal.

Modes of Introduction

Phase	Note
Implementation

Applicable Platforms

Type	Class	Name	Prevalence
Language	Not Language-Specific

Relationships

View			Weakness
# ID	View	Status	# ID	Name	Abstraction	Structure	Status
CWE-1000	Research Concepts	Draft	CWE-706	Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference	Class	Simple	Incomplete
CWE-1003	Weaknesses for Simplified Mapping of Published Vulnerabilities	Incomplete	CWE-706	Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference	Class	Simple	Incomplete
CWE-1000	Research Concepts	Draft	CWE-668	Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere	Class	Simple	Draft

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

The Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC™) effort provides a publicly available catalog of common attack patterns that helps users understand how adversaries exploit weaknesses in applications and other cyber-enabled capabilities.

CAPEC at Mitre.org

# ID	Name	Weaknesses
CAPEC-64	Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation Logic	CWE-22
CAPEC-76	Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls	CWE-22
CAPEC-78	Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate Encoding	CWE-22
CAPEC-79	Using Slashes in Alternate Encoding	CWE-22
CAPEC-126	Path Traversal	CWE-22

CVEs Published

Based on CVE published date

CVSS Severity

CVSS Severity - By Year

CVSS Base Score

# CVE	Description	CVSS	EPSS	EPSS Trend (30 days)	Affected Products	Weaknesses	Security Advisories	Exploits	PoC	Pubblication Date	Modification Date
# CVE	Description	CVSS	EPSS	EPSS Trend (30 days)	Affected Products	Weaknesses	Security Advisories	PoC	Pubblication Date	Modification Date