CVE-2021-44965
📋 TL;DR
This directory traversal vulnerability in PHPGURUKUL Employee Record Management System 1.2 allows attackers to access sensitive files outside the intended directory structure via the /admin/includes/ path. Attackers can retrieve and download confidential information from the server. Organizations using this specific version of the software are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHPGURUKUL Employee Record Management System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete server compromise through retrieval of configuration files containing database credentials, followed by database access and potential lateral movement.
Likely Case
Exfiltration of sensitive employee records, configuration files, and other confidential data stored on the server.
If Mitigated
Limited information disclosure if proper file permissions and web server configurations restrict access to sensitive directories.
🎯 Exploit Status
Directory traversal attacks are well-understood and easy to execute. Public GitHub repositories contain demonstration of the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: No official vendor advisory found
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check vendor website for updated version. 2. If no patch available, implement workarounds. 3. Consider migrating to alternative software if vendor is unresponsive.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Web Server Directory Restriction
allConfigure web server to deny direct access to /admin/includes/ directory
# Apache: Add to .htaccess in admin/includes/
<Files *>
Order Allow,Deny
Deny from all
</Files>
# Nginx: Add to server block
location /admin/includes/ {
deny all;
return 403;
}
Input Validation in PHP
allAdd path traversal validation to PHP scripts accessing files
// Add to PHP scripts that handle file operations
$filename = basename($_GET['file']);
$path = '/admin/includes/' . $filename;
if (strpos(realpath($path), '/admin/includes/') !== 0) {
die('Invalid file path');
}
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate the vulnerable system from sensitive data stores.
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) with directory traversal protection rules.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Attempt to access files outside the intended directory using traversal sequences like ../../../../etc/passwd via /admin/includes/ endpoint.Check Version:
Check version.php or similar configuration files in the application root directoryVerify Fix Applied:
Test that directory traversal attempts return error messages or are blocked, and that legitimate file access within /admin/includes/ still functions.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple 403/404 errors for traversal patterns in /admin/includes/ access logs
- Unusual file access patterns from single IP addresses
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing ../ sequences targeting /admin/includes/ paths
- Unusual outbound data transfers following traversal attempts
SIEM Query:
source="web_access.log" AND (uri="/admin/includes/*" AND (uri="*../*" OR uri="*..\\*"))