CVE-2024-23182 is a high-severity relative path traversal vulnerability affecting multiple versions of the a-blog cms product developed by appleple inc. Specifically, versions prior to 3.1.7 in the 3.1.x series, prior to 3.0.29 in the 3.0.x series, prior to 2.11.58 in the 2.11.x series, prior to 2.10.50 in the 2.10.x series, and version 2.9.0 and earlier are vulnerable. The flaw allows a remote attacker with authenticated access to the CMS to manipulate file paths in such a way that arbitrary files on the server can be deleted. This is a classic example of CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), where insufficient validation of user-supplied input leads to directory traversal. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond authentication but does require the attacker to have some level of privileges (PR:L in CVSS), indicating that the attacker must be a legitimate user with some access rights to the system. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 reflects the high impact on integrity and availability, as arbitrary file deletion can disrupt website functionality, cause data loss, or facilitate further attacks. The vulnerability is network exploitable (AV:N) and does not require user interaction (UI:N). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability is publicly disclosed and patched in newer versions. The lack of patch links in the provided data suggests that users should consult official vendor resources for updates. Overall, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations using affected versions of a-blog cms, especially those relying on the CMS for critical web content management and delivery.

For European organizations using a-blog cms in the affected versions, this vulnerability can lead to severe operational disruptions. The ability for an authenticated attacker to delete arbitrary files could result in loss of website content, configuration files, or other critical data, potentially causing website downtime and loss of service availability. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to loss of customer trust, and incur financial costs related to recovery and incident response. Furthermore, deletion of key files might be leveraged to facilitate further attacks, such as privilege escalation or persistent backdoors. Organizations in sectors with strict data integrity and availability requirements—such as finance, healthcare, and government—may face regulatory compliance issues if such an incident occurs. The requirement for authentication limits exploitation to insiders or compromised accounts, but this does not diminish the threat, as credential compromise is common. Given the CMS's role in content management, the impact on confidentiality is limited, but integrity and availability impacts are high. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for mitigation before widespread exploitation occurs.

European organizations should immediately identify all instances of a-blog cms in their environment and verify the version in use. Upgrading to the latest patched versions (3.1.7 or later for the 3.1.x series, and corresponding patched versions for other series) is the most effective mitigation. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, organizations should restrict access to the CMS administration interfaces to trusted networks and users only, employing network segmentation and strict access controls. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of credential compromise. Conduct thorough audits of user accounts and permissions to ensure that only necessary users have authenticated access. Monitor logs for unusual file deletion activities or other suspicious behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block path traversal patterns targeting the CMS. Regular backups of CMS files and configurations should be maintained to enable rapid recovery in case of file deletion. Finally, organizations should stay informed via vendor advisories and security bulletins to apply patches promptly once available.