Detect-It-Easy Path Traversal Vulnerability Allowing Arbitrary File Write

A path traversal vulnerability has been identified in Detect-It-Easy versions prior to 3.21. This vulnerability allows attackers to write arbitrary files to the filesystem by creating malicious archive entries that include relative traversal sequences or absolute paths. The issue arises from inadequate path normalization during the extraction of archives, which can be exploited to write files outside the designated extraction directory. This could lead to persistent code execution by overwriting user startup scripts.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability could result in arbitrary file writing, with the potential for overwriting user startup scripts to achieve persistent code execution.

Reproduction

To reproduce this vulnerability, create an archive file that includes relative path traversal sequences or absolute paths. When this archive is extracted by Detect-It-Easy version 3.20 or earlier, the application will write the files to locations outside the intended directory, due to insufficient path normalization. This can be verified by checking the extraction results and observing any overwritten startup scripts.

Remediation

Users can upgrade to Detect-It-Easy version 3.21 or later, where this vulnerability has been addressed.