CVE-2025-55202: Opencast has a partial path traversal vulnerability in UI config
Opencast is a free, open-source platform to support the management of educational audio and video content. In version 18.0 and versions before 17.7, the protections against path traversal attacks in the UI config module are insufficient, still partially allowing for attacks in very specific cases. The path is checked without checking for the file separator. This could allow attackers access to files within another folder which starts with the same path. This issue has been fixed in versions 17.7 and 18.1. To mitigate this issue, check for folders that start with the same path as the ui-config folder.
Other sources
The protections against path traversal attacks in the UI config module are insufficient, still partially allowing for attacks in very specific cases.
The path is checked without checking for the file separator. This could allow attackers access to files within another folder which starts with the same path. For example, the default UI config directory is placed at /etc/opencast/ui-config. Without this patch, an attacker can get access to files in a folder /etc/opencast/ui-config-hidden if those files are readable by Opencast.
General path traversal is not possible. For example, an attacker cannot exploit this to access files in /etc/opencast/encoding or even in /etc/opencast/ directly.
How dangerous is this?
Theoretically, this vulnerability may be exploited to get access to some non-public files. However, given the default structure of Opencast's configuration, this is extremely unlikely to hit any users. There can be but one ui-config folders. This makes it quite unlikely for any user to have created an additional folder starting with ui-config. Users could also rename this folder, but since there is no real reason for anyone to do this, this, again is extremely unlikely to trigger this issue.
How to fix the issue
- To mitigate this, check if you have folders which start with the same path as your ui-config folder - A fix is available in https://github.com/opencast/opencast/pull/6979 - Updating to Opencast 17.7 or 18.1 will fix the issue
— GitHub
Affected Software
Remediation
Patch Available
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-55202?
The severity of CVE-2025-55202 is significant due to its potential to allow path traversal attacks in the Opencast platform.
How do I fix CVE-2025-55202?
To fix CVE-2025-55202, upgrade to Opencast version 18.1 or higher, or to version 17.7 if you are using an earlier version.
What versions of Opencast are affected by CVE-2025-55202?
CVE-2025-55202 affects Opencast version 18.0 and all versions prior to 17.7.
What kind of attack does CVE-2025-55202 allow?
CVE-2025-55202 allows for path traversal attacks, which can lead to unauthorized access to files and directories.
Who is responsible for addressing CVE-2025-55202?
It is the responsibility of users and administrators of Opencast to monitor for vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-55202 and apply necessary updates.