CVE-2018-9109: Studio 42/elfinder Path Traversal Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-45x3-mw7q-wf7f
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-9109 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Studio 42/elfinder libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves elfinder path traversal vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.36.

CVE-2018-9109 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-9109
GHSA Identifier GHSA-45x3-mw7q-wf7f
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Studio 42/elfinder
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-9109

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Studio 42/elfinder dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

studio-42/elfinder fixed: 2.1.36 
Upgrade studio-42/elfinder to 2.1.36
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 studio-42/elfinder

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2018-9109, inspect your project dependencies for Studio 42/elfinder:

inspect dependencies for studio-42/elfinder

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Studio 42/elfinder in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.1.36), 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 Studio 42/elfinder, 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

Studio 42 elFinder before 2.1.36 has a directory traversal vulnerability in `elFinder.class.php` with the `zipdl()` function that can allow a remote attacker to download files accessible by the web server process and delete files owned by the account running the web server process.

CVE-2018-9109 Affected Studio 42/elfinder Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.36
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
studio-42/elfinder
 Packagist
< 2.1.36
2.1.36

References

NVD — CVE-2018-9109 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-9109
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/commit/157f471d7e48f190f74e66eb5bc73360b5352fd3
Studio 42/elfinder Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder
Studio 42/elfinder Release RELEASE
https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/releases/tag/2.1.36
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/wiki/Advisory-about-vulnerability-of-CVE-2018-9109-and-CVE-2018-9110

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-9109?
CVE-2018-9109 is a security vulnerability in Studio 42/elfinder involving elFinder Path Traversal vulnerability under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Studio 42/elfinder versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.36 across affected packages: studio-42/elfinder.
What version fixes CVE-2018-9109?
Upgrading to 2.1.36 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is studio-42/elfinder affected?
Yes, studio-42/elfinder is affected in releases prior to 2.1.36. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.36 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-9109?
CVE-2018-9109 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-9109?
CVE-2018-9109 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 Packagist dependencies for CVE-2018-9109?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for studio-42/elfinder'. 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-45x3-mw7q-wf7f",
  "modified" : "2024-01-10T19:31:43Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:06:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-9109" ],
  "summary" : "elFinder Path Traversal vulnerability",
  "details" : "Studio 42 elFinder before 2.1.36 has a directory traversal vulnerability in `elFinder.class.php` with the `zipdl()` function that can allow a remote attacker to download files accessible by the web server process and delete files owned by the account running the web server process.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "studio-42/elfinder"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.36"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-9109"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/commit/157f471d7e48f190f74e66eb5bc73360b5352fd3"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/releases/tag/2.1.36"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/wiki/Advisory-about-vulnerability-of-CVE-2018-9109-and-CVE-2018-9110"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-10T19:31:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-03-28T06:29:00Z"
  }
}