Executive brief
Erxes is an open-source customer engagement platform that handles file uploads and retrieval. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit a path traversal flaw in the /read-file endpoint to read any file from the server, potentially exposing sensitive system files, configuration data, and private customer information without any authentication.
Technical details
This is a classic path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) in the /read-file HTTP endpoint handler. The vulnerability exists because the endpoint fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied file path input before processing it, allowing attackers to use directory traversal sequences (e.g., "../../../") to escape the intended directory and access arbitrary files on the system. The flaw is reachable over the network without authentication, making it trivial to exploit. An attacker can read system files like /etc/passwd, configuration files with credentials, private keys, or any other readable file accessible by the application process. The fix, deployed in version 1.6.2, adds filename sanitization using a sanitizeFilename utility function.
Affected products
- Erxes Erxes <1.6.2
Timeline
- 2025-06-10: disclosed
- 2025-06-10: patched: Fixed in version 1.6.2