CVE-2022-31557
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to perform absolute path traversal attacks in the seveas/golem repository, enabling unauthorized file access. It affects systems running vulnerable versions of this software that use Flask's send_file function unsafely. The high CVSS score indicates severe impact potential.
💻 Affected Systems
- seveas/golem
📦 What is this software?
Golem by Golem Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise through arbitrary file read/write, potentially leading to sensitive data exposure, privilege escalation, or remote code execution.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to sensitive files on the server, including configuration files, credentials, or application source code.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper file system permissions and network segmentation, potentially only exposing non-sensitive files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Path traversal vulnerabilities are well-understood and easily exploitable with minimal technical skill.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: N/A
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/github/securitylab/issues/669
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Upgrade to a version after 2016-05-17 if available
2. Implement proper input validation for file paths
3. Use Flask's safe file handling functions
4. Restart the application service
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement Input Validation
allAdd strict validation for file path parameters to prevent directory traversal sequences
# Add validation in Flask route handlers
# Example: validate_path = re.compile(r'^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\.]+$')
Use Flask Safe Functions
allReplace unsafe send_file usage with secure alternatives that validate paths
# Replace: send_file(requested_path)
# With: send_file(safe_path, as_attachment=True)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit exposure
- Deploy web application firewall with path traversal protection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Review Flask route handlers for unsafe send_file usage with user-controlled pathsCheck Version:
Check repository commit history or version metadata for dates before 2016-05-17Verify Fix Applied:
Test path traversal attempts (e.g., '../../etc/passwd') and verify they are blocked📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed file access attempts with traversal sequences
- Unusual file access patterns outside expected directories
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing '../' sequences in file parameters
- Unusual file extensions or paths in URLs
SIEM Query:
web.url:*../* AND (response.status:403 OR response.status:404)