# CVE-2023-36827: ethyca-fides Webserver API Path Traversal vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2023-36827-ethyca-fides-webserver-api-path-traversal-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2023-07-05  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2023-36827 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2023-07-05

Fides is an open-source privacy engineering platform for managing the fulfillment of data privacy requests in a runtime environment, and the enforcement of privacy regulations in code. A path traversal (directory traversal) vulnerability affects fides versions lower than version `2.15.1`, allowing remote attackers to access arbitrary files on the fides webserver container's filesystem. The vulnerability is patched in fides `2.15.1`.

If the Fides webserver API is not directly accessible to attackers and is instead deployed behind a reverse proxy as recommended in Ethyca's security best practice documentation, and the reverse proxy is an AWS application load balancer, the vulnerability can't be exploited by these attackers. An AWS application load balancer will reject this attack with a 400 error. Additionally, any secrets supplied to the container using environment variables rather than a `fides.toml` configuration file are not affected by this vulnerability.

Technologies: [ethyca-fides (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ethyca-fides). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2023-36827 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2023-36827 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2023-36827?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 5 July 2023.

**Which products and versions are affected?** ethyca-fides (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=2.15.1, GIT:introduced=0,fixed=f526d9ffb176006d701493c9d0eff6b4884e811f|ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=2.15.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2023-36827?** Yes. ethyca-fides (PyPI): upgrade to 2.15.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**Am I affected by CVE-2023-36827?** Check whether you run ethyca-fides (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- ethyca-fides (PyPI): upgrade to 2.15.1 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "ethyca-fides>=2.15.1"
  ```


## Affected products

- ethyca-fides (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=2.15.1, GIT:introduced=0,fixed=f526d9ffb176006d701493c9d0eff6b4884e811f|ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=2.15.1

## Identifiers

- CVE-2023-36827
- GHSA-r25m-cr6v-p9hq
- PYSEC-2023-107

## Related threats

- [PYSEC-2026-1343 - Fides Webserver API is Vulnerable to OAuth Client Privilege Escalation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-57817-fides-webserver-api-is-vulnerable-to-oauth-client-privilege)
- [PYSEC-2026-1341 - Fides Webserver API Rate Limiting Vulnerability in Proxied Environments](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-57816-fides-webserver-api-rate-limiting-vulnerability-in-proxied)
- [PYSEC-2026-1335 - Fides has a Lack of Brute-Force Protections on Authentication Endpoints](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-57815-fides-has-a-lack-of-brute-force-protections-on-authentication)
- [PYSEC-2026-1348 - Fides' Admin UI User Password Change Does Not Invalidate Current Session](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-57766-fides-admin-ui-user-password-change-does-not-invalidate-current)
- [PYSEC-2026-1349 - Password Policy Bypass Vulnerability in Fides Webserver User Accept Invite API](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2024-52008-password-policy-bypass-vulnerability-in-fides-webserver-user)