👉 Overview
👀 What ?
File Inclusion/Path Traversal is a type of security vulnerability that allows an attacker to read and sometimes execute files on the web server that they are not supposed to have access to. These vulnerabilities occur when a web application uses user input to construct a file path for use within a file operation.
🧐 Why ?
Understanding File Inclusion/Path Traversal is critical because it's a common vulnerability that can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or even remote code execution. A successful exploitation can lead to full control of the affected server for the attacker.
⛏️ How ?
To exploit a File Inclusion/Path Traversal, an attacker would typically manipulate variables that reference files with 'dot-dot-slash (../)' sequences and its variations or by using absolute file paths. The goal is to trick the application into accessing a file that is not intended to be accessible, such as /etc/passwd.
⏳ When ?
File Inclusion/Path Traversal vulnerabilities have been known and exploited since the early days of dynamic web development. They are still prevalent today due to the lack of secure coding practices and effective file and directory access controls.
⚙️ Technical Explanations
In the context of web applications, files and directories are often used to store critical information, and the ability to interact with the file system is an integral part of most modern web applications. However, this can lead to security risks if an application allows user-supplied input to influence file paths and names directly. The specific risk and impact vary depending on the functionality of the application, the types of information stored in the files, and the other security controls in place. For instance, if an application uses user input to construct a file path for use within a file operation, it is possible that the user could manipulate the path to access other files on the system. This could lead to a variety of impacts, such as disclosure of sensitive information, unauthorized changes to system data, or execution of arbitrary code.