CVE-2025-29789
📋 TL;DR
OpenEMR versions before 7.3.0 contain a directory traversal vulnerability in the Load Code feature that allows attackers to read arbitrary files on the server. This affects all OpenEMR installations running vulnerable versions. The vulnerability could expose sensitive medical records and system configuration files.
💻 Affected Systems
- OpenEMR
📦 What is this software?
Openemr by Open Emr
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could read sensitive patient health records, system configuration files containing credentials, and other protected data, potentially leading to data breaches and regulatory violations.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to configuration files, source code, or other sensitive files stored on the server, potentially enabling further attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper file permissions and network segmentation, though the vulnerability still exists.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to the Load Code feature, which typically requires authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 7.3.0
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-ffpq-2wqj-v8ff
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your OpenEMR installation and database. 2. Download OpenEMR version 7.3.0 or later from the official repository. 3. Follow the OpenEMR upgrade documentation to apply the update. 4. Verify the patch is applied by checking the version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Load Code Feature
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable Load Code feature if immediate patching is not possible.
Restrict File Permissions
Linux/UnixSet strict file permissions on sensitive directories to limit what can be accessed.
chmod 600 /path/to/sensitive/files
chown root:root /path/to/sensitive/files
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit who can access the OpenEMR interface.
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block directory traversal attempts.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if your OpenEMR version is below 7.3.0 by examining the version in the interface or configuration files.Check Version:
grep -i 'version' /path/to/openemr/interface/login/login.php | head -1Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm the version is 7.3.0 or higher and test the Load Code feature with traversal attempts to ensure it's blocked.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file access patterns in web server logs, especially requests containing '../' sequences to the Load Code endpoint.
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with directory traversal payloads (e.g., '../etc/passwd') to OpenEMR endpoints.
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND uri="*load_code*" AND (uri="*../*" OR uri="*..\\*" OR uri="*%2e%2e%2f*")