CVE-2019-15952: Total4 Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pwvp-h579-hfxg
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-15952 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Total4 libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves total.js cms path traversal. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2019-15952 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-15952
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pwvp-h579-hfxg
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Total4
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2019-15952

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Total4 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

total4 fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install total4@Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls total4

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2019-15952, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls total4

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Total4 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls total4 command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where 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. In Total4, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

An issue was discovered in Total.js CMS 12.0.0. An authenticated user with the Pages privilege can conduct a path traversal attack (../) to include .html files that are outside the permitted directory. Also, if a page contains a template directive, then the directive will be server side processed. Thus, if a user can control the content of a .html file, then they can inject a payload with a malicious template directive to gain Remote Command Execution. The exploit will work only with the .html extension.

CVE-2019-15952 Affected Total4 Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
total4
npm/total4
npm
12.0
All 1 versions
12.0
None specified

References

NVD — CVE-2019-15952 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-15952
Total4 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/beerpwn/CVE/blob/master/Totaljs_disclosure_report/report_final.pdf
Total4 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/totaljs/cms
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019... WEB
https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Sep/2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-15952?
CVE-2019-15952 is a security vulnerability in Total4 involving Total.js CMS Path Traversal under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Total4 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: total4.
What version fixes CVE-2019-15952?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is total4 affected?
Yes, total4 is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-15952?
CVE-2019-15952 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-15952?
CVE-2019-15952 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (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.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2019-15952?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls total4'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-pwvp-h579-hfxg",
  "modified" : "2023-07-17T23:19:49Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T16:55:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-15952" ],
  "summary" : "Total.js CMS Path Traversal",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in Total.js CMS 12.0.0. An authenticated user with the Pages privilege can conduct a path traversal attack (../) to include .html files that are outside the permitted directory. Also, if a page contains a template directive, then the directive will be server side processed. Thus, if a user can control the content of a .html file, then they can inject a payload with a malicious template directive to gain Remote Command Execution. The exploit will work only with the .html extension.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "total4"
    },
    "versions" : [ "12.0" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-15952"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/beerpwn/CVE/blob/master/Totaljs_disclosure_report/report_final.pdf"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/totaljs/cms"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Sep/2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-17T23:19:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-09-05T19:16:00Z"
  }
}