Executive brief
SimpleHelp, a remote support and management software, contains a security flaw that allows administrative users to bypass file restrictions. By uploading a specially crafted archive file, an attacker can place malicious files anywhere on the server's file system. This can lead to full system takeover and the execution of unauthorized commands, potentially compromising all customer data and remote sessions managed by the platform.
Technical details
A path traversal vulnerability (Zip Slip) exists in SimpleHelp v5.5.7 and earlier. The flaw resides in the handling of ZIP file uploads by administrative users, where the application fails to properly sanitize file paths within the archive. An attacker with administrative privileges can exploit this by uploading a crafted ZIP file containing entries with 'dot-dot-slash' (../) sequences to write arbitrary files to sensitive locations on the host file system. This can be leveraged to achieve remote code execution (RCE) in the context of the SimpleHelp server user. The vulnerability has been observed being exploited in the wild, notably in ransomware operations.
Affected products
- SimpleHelp SimpleHelp v5.5.7 and earlier
Timeline
- 2025-01-15: disclosed: Initial CVE publication
- 2025-01-16: patched: Fixed in version 5.5.8
- 2026-04-24: kev added: Added to CISA KEV catalog due to active exploitation