# CVE-2015-2996: Path traversal in n/a

> Remote attackers can read arbitrary files or cause denial of service via directory traversal in SysAid Help Desk.

- **Severity:** High 8.5 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 8 Jun 2015
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2xhc-m333-xphj

## What is CVE-2015-2996?

CVE-2015-2996 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 8 Jun 2015. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in SysAid Help Desk before 15.2 allow remote attackers to (1) read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the fileName parameter to getGfiUpgradeFile or (2) cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) via a .. (dot dot) in the fileName parameter to calculateRdsFileChecksum.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2015-2996?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Sysaid Sysaid.

## How do I fix CVE-2015-2996?

No fix has been published for CVE-2015-2996 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2015-2996 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2015-2996 exists.

Public exploit code:

- SysAid Help Desk Arbitrary File Download (metasploit)
- SysAid Help Desk Database Credentials Disclosure (metasploit)
- SysAid Help Desk 14.4 - Multiple Vulnerabilities (exploitdb)
- SysAid Help Desk <15.2 - Local File Inclusion (nuclei): http/cves/2015/CVE-2015-2996.yaml

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2023-47246](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-47246/): SysAid Server Path Traversal (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-2775](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-2775/): SysAid On-Prem Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (critical 9.3, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-2776](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-2776/): SysAid On-Prem Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (critical 9.3, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-36393](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-36393/): SysAid - CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2025-2777](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-2777/): SysAid On-Prem <= 23.3.40 lshw Proceessing XML External Entity Injection (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2015-2996 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2015-2996 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 8 Jun 2015. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2015-2996 exists.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2996/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2996/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-2996
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-2996
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2015-2996

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2996/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.