CVE-2018-20303: Gogs.io/gogs Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9hxg-w7qf-hh93
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-20303 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Gogs.io/gogs libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves gogs directory traversal. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c.

CVE-2018-20303 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-20303
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9hxg-w7qf-hh93
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Gogs.io/gogs
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2018-20303

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

gogs.io/gogs fixed: 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c 
Upgrade gogs.io/gogs to 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

inspect dependencies for gogs.io/gogs

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2018-20303, inspect your project dependencies for Gogs.io/gogs:

inspect dependencies for gogs.io/gogs

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Gogs.io/gogs in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

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 Gogs.io/gogs, 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

In pkg/tool/path.go in Gogs before 0.11.82.1218, a directory traversal in the file-upload functionality can allow an attacker to create a file under data/sessions on the server, a similar issue to CVE-2018-18925.

CVE-2018-20303 Affected Gogs.io/gogs Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
gogs.io/gogs
golang/gogs.io/gogs
Go
< 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c
0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c

References

NVD — CVE-2018-20303 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-20303
Gogs.io/gogs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/gogs/gogs/issues/5558
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/gogs/gogs/commit/ff93d9dbda5cebe90d86e4b7dfb2c6b8642970ce
Gogs.io/gogs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/gogs/gogs
pentesterlab.com/exercises/cve-2018-... WEB
https://pentesterlab.com/exercises/cve-2018-18925

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-20303?
CVE-2018-20303 is a security vulnerability in Gogs.io/gogs involving Gogs Directory Traversal under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Gogs.io/gogs versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c across affected packages: gogs.io/gogs.
What version fixes CVE-2018-20303?
Upgrading to 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is gogs.io/gogs affected?
Yes, gogs.io/gogs is affected in releases prior to 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c. Upgrade your dependency to 0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-20303?
CVE-2018-20303 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-20303?
CVE-2018-20303 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 Go dependencies for CVE-2018-20303?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for gogs.io/gogs'. 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-9hxg-w7qf-hh93",
  "modified" : "2026-05-14T22:33:39Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T01:37:52Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-20303" ],
  "summary" : "Gogs Directory Traversal",
  "details" : "In pkg/tool/path.go in Gogs before 0.11.82.1218, a directory traversal in the file-upload functionality can allow an attacker to create a file under data/sessions on the server, a similar issue to CVE-2018-18925.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "gogs.io/gogs"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.11.80-0.20181218063808-ff93d9dbda5c"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-20303"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gogs/gogs/issues/5558"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gogs/gogs/commit/ff93d9dbda5cebe90d86e4b7dfb2c6b8642970ce"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gogs/gogs"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pentesterlab.com/exercises/cve-2018-18925"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-25T18:09:57Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-12-20T00:29:00Z"
  }
}