CVE-2025-46486 is a path traversal vulnerability classified under CWE-22 affecting the totalprocessing Nomupay Payment Processing Gateway up to version 7.1.7. Path traversal vulnerabilities occur when an application improperly restricts user-supplied input used to construct file paths, allowing attackers to access files and directories outside the intended restricted directory. In this case, the vulnerability allows an authenticated user with high privileges (as indicated by the CVSS vector requiring PR:H) to craft requests that traverse the filesystem beyond the designated directories. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive files, as the confidentiality impact is rated high. However, the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, and no user interaction is required. The CVSS score of 4.9 (medium severity) reflects a moderate risk primarily due to the requirement for high privileges and network attack vector. No known exploits are currently in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability is significant because payment processing gateways handle sensitive financial data, and unauthorized file access could expose configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive information that could be leveraged for further attacks or data breaches.

For European organizations using the Nomupay Payment Processing Gateway, this vulnerability poses a risk of sensitive data exposure. Attackers with high-level access could exploit the path traversal flaw to read critical files, potentially including payment transaction logs, cryptographic keys, or configuration files containing credentials. This could lead to data breaches, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations), reputational damage, and financial losses. Since payment gateways are integral to financial operations, any compromise could disrupt business continuity indirectly by eroding trust or enabling subsequent attacks. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not trivially exploitable by low-privilege users, organizations should prioritize remediation to prevent escalation of privileges or lateral movement within their networks.

1. Apply vendor patches immediately once available to address the path traversal vulnerability. 2. In the interim, restrict access to the Nomupay Payment Processing Gateway interfaces to trusted administrators only, using network segmentation and strict access controls. 3. Implement robust input validation and sanitization on all user-supplied path parameters to prevent traversal sequences such as '../'. 4. Employ file system permission hardening to ensure that even if traversal occurs, sensitive files are not accessible by the application process. 5. Monitor logs for unusual file access patterns or attempts to access restricted directories. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on path traversal and related filesystem vulnerabilities. 7. Educate administrators about the risks of elevated privileges and enforce the principle of least privilege to reduce the attack surface.