# CVE-2018-15705: Path traversal in Advantech WebAccess

> Authenticated attackers can exploit a directory traversal flaw in the WADashboard API to write arbitrary files and execute code on Advantech WebAccess systems.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 31 Oct 2018
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mg4r-8g5w-f8f3

## What is CVE-2018-15705?

CVE-2018-15705 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Advantech Webaccess, published on 31 Oct 2018. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

WADashboard API in Advantech WebAccess 8.3.1 and 8.3.2 allows remote authenticated attackers to write or overwrite any file on the filesystem due to a directory traversal vulnerability in the writeFile API. An attacker can use this vulnerability to remotely execute arbitrary code.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-15705?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Advantech Webaccess.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-15705?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-15705 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-15705 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-15705 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Advantech WebAccess SCADA 8.3.2 - Remote Code Execution (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Advantech Webaccess

- [CVE-2014-9208](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-9208/): Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in unspecified DLL files in Advantech WebAccess before 8.0.1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitra (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2021-33023](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-33023/): Advantech WebAccess (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-38389](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-38389/): Advantech WebAccess (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-38408](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-38408/): Memory corruption in Advantech WebAccess (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-12019](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12019/): Memory corruption in WebAccess Node (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-15705 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-15705 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Advantech Webaccess, published on 31 Oct 2018. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-15705 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Advantech Webaccess. 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-2018-15705/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-15705/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-15705
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-15705
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-15705

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-15705/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.