ruvnet sublinear-time-solver MCP Interface Path Traversal Vulnerability

A path traversal vulnerability has been identified in the ruvnet sublinear-time-solver version 1.5.0, specifically within the consciousness-explorer component. The issue arises in the MCP interface's export_state function, located in src/consciousness-explorer/mcp/server.js. This vulnerability allows for arbitrary file writing by accepting user-supplied file paths without proper validation, enabling remote attackers to overwrite files accessible to the server process. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed and exploited.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows for arbitrary file writing on the server, with the potential to overwrite existing files or create new ones in locations accessible to the MCP server process. This could lead to unauthorized modification of application data or disruption of service.

Reproduction

To reproduce this vulnerability, start the consciousness-explorer MCP server and invoke the export_state tool via a JSON-RPC request. Include a filepath argument that specifies a location such as /tmp/sublinear_state_poc.json. After the request is processed, check if the file was created and contains the expected JSON state data, confirming that the export_state tool wrote to the specified path.

Remediation

As of now, no fixed version is available. However, it is recommended to avoid exposing the MCP server to untrusted clients and to run the server with restricted permissions. Once a patch is developed, a security advisory should be published.