VulnerabilityPublished 28 Feb 2024Updated 1 Aug 2024

CVE-2024-22723: Webtrees · Path Traversal: 'dir\..\..\filename

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.9 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.9Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 58% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Feb 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-22723, organizations should first restrict administrator access to trusted personnel and enforce strong authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication, to reduce the risk of credential compromise. Network-level controls should limit access to the Webtrees administration interface to known IP addresses or VPNs. Until an official patch is released, administrators should avoid manipulating the 'media_folder' parameter and monitor web server logs for unusual or unauthorized directory traversal attempts. Implementing web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block directory traversal patterns targeting the 'media_folder' parameter can provide additional protection. Regularly auditing file system permissions to ensure that the Webtrees application user has minimal access rights beyond the necessary directories can limit the impact of exploitation. Organizations should also maintain up-to-date backups of critical data and prepare for rapid patch deployment once a fix becomes available. Finally, monitoring for leaked administrator credentials and conducting periodic security awareness training can help prevent unauthorized access.

Description

Webtrees 2.1.18 is vulnerable to Directory Traversal. By manipulating the "media_folder" parameter in the URL, an attacker (in this case, an administrator) can navigate beyond the intended directory (the 'media/' directory) to access sensitive files in other parts of the application's file system.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-22723 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information due to directory traversal beyond the intended media directory. For organizations using Webtrees 2.1.18, this could expose configuration files, user data, or other critical files stored on the server, undermining confidentiality. Although exploitation requires administrator privileges, if these credentials are compromised or misused, attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain deeper insight into the system, facilitating further attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability directly, but the exposure of sensitive data can have significant operational and reputational consequences. Organizations managing genealogical data, which may include personal and familial information, face privacy risks and potential regulatory compliance issues. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the medium severity rating and lack of patches necessitate proactive mitigation. The impact is more pronounced in environments where administrator access controls are weak or where Webtrees is exposed to a broad user base.

CWE-31Path Traversal: 'dir\..\..\filename' (opens in a new tab)
Variant weakness
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize 'dir\..\..\filename' (multiple internal backslash dot dot) sequences that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Implementation · Input Validation
Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174).
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

cupc4k3.medium.com/cve-2024-22723-webtrees-vulnerability-uncovering-sensitive-data-through-path-traversal-7442e7a38b68 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 28 Feb 2026, 09:13 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-31

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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