CVE-2025-65345 identifies a directory traversal vulnerability in the zip and archiving functionality of alexusmai laravel-file-manager versions 3.3.1 and below. The flaw arises from improper validation of file paths when creating or extracting archives, which allows an attacker to include files and directories outside the intended extraction scope. This can be exploited remotely without authentication or user interaction, making it accessible to unauthenticated attackers over the network. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory). Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized reading and modification of arbitrary files on the server, potentially exposing sensitive data or altering application behavior. However, it does not directly affect system availability. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 reflects a medium severity, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. Organizations using this Laravel package in their web applications should be aware of the risk and prepare to apply fixes or mitigations promptly once available.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to confidentiality and integrity of data managed by web applications using the vulnerable laravel-file-manager package. Attackers could extract or overwrite sensitive files, potentially leading to data breaches, leakage of credentials, or unauthorized configuration changes. This can undermine trust, cause regulatory compliance issues (e.g., GDPR violations), and disrupt business operations indirectly. Since the vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, it can be exploited by remote attackers scanning for vulnerable instances, increasing the attack surface. Organizations relying on Laravel-based content management or file handling systems are particularly vulnerable. The impact is heightened in sectors with sensitive data, such as finance, healthcare, and government services, common across Europe. The absence of known exploits provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the medium severity score indicates that timely action is necessary to prevent exploitation.

1. Monitor official sources and the package repository for patches or updates addressing CVE-2025-65345 and apply them immediately upon release. 2. Until patches are available, implement strict input validation and sanitization on all file and archive upload paths to prevent directory traversal sequences (e.g., '..', absolute paths). 3. Configure the application to restrict archive extraction to a dedicated, sandboxed directory with minimal permissions, preventing access to sensitive system or application files. 4. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious archive uploads or path traversal attempts. 5. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on file upload and extraction functionalities. 6. Educate developers and administrators about secure handling of file uploads and the risks of directory traversal. 7. Limit the privileges of the web server process to the minimum necessary to reduce the impact of potential exploitation. 8. Implement logging and alerting for unusual file system activities related to archive extraction.