Decoded: SMB Cybersecurity

Spatie Browsershot Directory Traversal Vulnerability

Published Date: December 18, 2024

Package Affected Versions Patched Versions Severity
📦 spatie/browsershot (Composer) < 5.0.2 5.0.2 High

Description

Overview


A high-severity vulnerability has been identified in the spatie/browsershot package, specifically in versions prior to 5.0.2. This issue was reviewed and published to the GitHub Advisory Database 11 hours ago, with an update occurring just one hour ago. The vulnerability allows attackers to exploit improper handling of file paths, enabling unauthorized file access.

Affected Package



  • Package Name: spatie/browsershot

  • Package Manager: Composer

  • Affected Versions: < 5.0.2

  • Patched Version: 5.0.2


Vulnerability Details


The issue lies in how spatie/browsershot handles URI normalization in the browser. Specifically, the vulnerability arises from the ability to bypass the file:// URI scheme check using malformed paths like file:\. This normalization translates \ into /, which effectively circumvents security mechanisms.

As a result, an attacker could use this flaw to read arbitrary files on the server. For example, they might access sensitive configuration files, private keys, or user data stored outside the intended application directories.

Severity


Given the potential for unauthorized access to server files, this vulnerability is classified as high severity.

Patches & Workarounds

Mitigation


To address this issue, users of spatie/browsershot should upgrade to version 5.0.2 immediately. This patched version ensures proper handling of URI normalization and prevents the bypass exploit.

Steps to Upgrade:



  1. Open your project’s root directory.

  2. Run the following Composer command to update the package:


composer require spatie/browsershot:^5.0.2

3. Test your application to ensure compatibility with the updated package version.

 

Recommendations



  • If you cannot upgrade immediately, restrict access to sensitive server files as a temporary mitigation.

  • Regularly review and monitor package updates and security advisories to catch vulnerabilities early.

  • Consider implementing additional input validation or logging mechanisms to detect and prevent unauthorized file access attempts.

References

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-21547

https://gist.github.com/chuajianshen/baa71db588cfc038fb5d65624a47be81

https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-PHP-SPATIEBROWSERSHOT-8501858
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