Elie MCP-Project Path Traversal Vulnerability in Search Papers Function

A path traversal vulnerability has been identified in Elie MCP-Project version 0.1.0, specifically within the search_papers function of the research_server.py file. The vulnerability arises because the function improperly handles the topic argument, allowing for traversal sequences to escape the intended directory. This issue requires local exploitation.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows for arbitrary write access to JSON files outside the designated papers directory, potentially overwriting existing files or creating new ones in an attacker-specified location.

Reproduction

To reproduce this vulnerability, send a request to the MCP interface calling the search_papers tool. Include a topic argument that contains traversal sequences, such as '../', which will escape the intended directory and overwrite or create the papers_info.json file in a location of the attacker's choice.

Remediation

The vulnerability can be addressed by sanitizing the topic input to prevent traversal sequences from escaping the intended directory. Alternatively, a unique identifier can be generated for each search that is safe for use as a filename.