| Category | Severity | |----------|----------| | Credential Theft | Critical | | Cloud Account Compromise | Critical | | Lateral Movement | High | | Data Exfiltration | High |
While path.join is safer, it can still be bypassed if req.query.file contains ../ because path.join normalizes but does not prevent directory traversal outside the root. Using path.resolve() without proper checks is even more dangerous.
: Critical . If a web application or API is vulnerable to this traversal, an attacker could read your AWS Credentials directly from the server's file system.
: Deleting cloud resources or taking over the entire corporate AWS account. How Path Traversal Vulnerabilities Occur
"file" AND (".." OR "%2F" OR "..%2F") AND ".aws/credentials"
: Targets the specific hidden file where AWS CLI and SDKs store permanent authentication tokens. 2. Risks and Impact
In a vulnerable file-reading endpoint, an attacker would supply this as the file parameter, expecting the application to retrieve and return the contents of ~/.aws/credentials for any user whose home directory matches the wildcard. In practice, the asterisk might be replaced with a known username ( ubuntu , ec2-user , root , etc.) or left as-is if the server performs globbing.
The safest approach is to never pass user-controlled input directly into file system APIs. Use an ID-based lookup or an explicit allowlist instead. javascript
The .aws/credentials file typically contains sensitive information used for AWS authentication, including access keys.
: Restrict accepted parameter values to a strict list of pre-approved filenames. If an input does not exactly match the whitelist, reject the request immediately. 2. Practice the Principle of Least Privilege
Configure a WAF to inspect requests for common traversal patterns, such as ../ , ..%2F , or ..%252f , to detect and block LFI attempts before they reach the application. 5. File System Permissions
| Category | Severity | |----------|----------| | Credential Theft | Critical | | Cloud Account Compromise | Critical | | Lateral Movement | High | | Data Exfiltration | High |
While path.join is safer, it can still be bypassed if req.query.file contains ../ because path.join normalizes but does not prevent directory traversal outside the root. Using path.resolve() without proper checks is even more dangerous.
: Critical . If a web application or API is vulnerable to this traversal, an attacker could read your AWS Credentials directly from the server's file system. -file-..-2F..-2F..-2F..-2Fhome-2F-2A-2F.aws-2Fcredentials
: Deleting cloud resources or taking over the entire corporate AWS account. How Path Traversal Vulnerabilities Occur
"file" AND (".." OR "%2F" OR "..%2F") AND ".aws/credentials" | Category | Severity | |----------|----------| | Credential
: Targets the specific hidden file where AWS CLI and SDKs store permanent authentication tokens. 2. Risks and Impact
In a vulnerable file-reading endpoint, an attacker would supply this as the file parameter, expecting the application to retrieve and return the contents of ~/.aws/credentials for any user whose home directory matches the wildcard. In practice, the asterisk might be replaced with a known username ( ubuntu , ec2-user , root , etc.) or left as-is if the server performs globbing. If a web application or API is vulnerable
The safest approach is to never pass user-controlled input directly into file system APIs. Use an ID-based lookup or an explicit allowlist instead. javascript
The .aws/credentials file typically contains sensitive information used for AWS authentication, including access keys.
: Restrict accepted parameter values to a strict list of pre-approved filenames. If an input does not exactly match the whitelist, reject the request immediately. 2. Practice the Principle of Least Privilege
Configure a WAF to inspect requests for common traversal patterns, such as ../ , ..%2F , or ..%252f , to detect and block LFI attempts before they reach the application. 5. File System Permissions