# CVE-2017-3980: Path traversal in ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO)

> Authenticated attackers can exploit a directory traversal flaw in the ePO Extension to execute arbitrary commands on the server.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 May 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8ph5-f876-gj9r

## What is CVE-2017-3980?

CVE-2017-3980 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Mcafee Epolicy Orchestrator, published on 18 May 2017. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A directory traversal vulnerability in the ePO Extension in McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) 5.9.0, 5.3.2, and 5.1.3 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to execute a command of their choice via an authenticated ePO session.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-3980?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mcafee Epolicy Orchestrator.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-3980?

No fix has been published for CVE-2017-3980 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2017-3980 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-3980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Mcafee Epolicy Orchestrator

- [CVE-2016-8027](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8027/): SQL injection in McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) 5.3.2 and earlier and 5.1.3 and earlier (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-5156](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-5156/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2002-0690](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0690/): Code injection in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2007-1498](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-1498/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2015-8765](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8765/): Deserialization in n/a (high 8.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-3980 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-3980 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Mcafee Epolicy Orchestrator, published on 18 May 2017. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-3980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Mcafee Epolicy Orchestrator. 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-2017-3980/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-3980/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-3980
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-3980
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-3980

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-3980/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.