CVE-2019-17640 Path Traversal in Eclipse Vert
Attackers can escape the webroot directory on Windows systems to read files from the current working directory using Eclipse Vert.x StaticHandler.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2019-17640?
CVE-2019-17640 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in The Eclipse Foundation Eclipse Vert.x, published on 15 Oct 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In Eclipse Vert.x 3.4.x up to 3.9.4, 4.0.0.milestone1, 4.0.0.milestone2, 4.0.0.milestone3, 4.0.0.milestone4, 4.0.0.milestone5, 4.0.0.Beta1, 4.0.0.Beta2, and 4.0.0.Beta3, StaticHandler doesn't correctly processes back slashes on Windows Operating systems, allowing, escape the webroot folder to the current working directory.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-17640?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including io.vertx:vertx-web. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
io.vertx:vertx-web Maven | From 3.0.0 | 3.9.4 |
io.vertx:vertx-web Maven | From 3.0.0 | 3.9.4 |
Products include Eclipse Vert.x.
How do I fix CVE-2019-17640?
Upgrade io.vertx:vertx-web to 3.9.4 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2019-17640 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-17640 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Public exploit code: 1 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Other vulnerabilities in The Eclipse Foundation Eclipse Vert.x
- CVE-2018-12542 Eclipse Vert.x does not properly neutralize '' (forward slashes) sequences that can resolve to an external location
- CVE-2018-12544 Moderate severity vulnerability that affects io.vertx:vertx-core
- CVE-2026-102469 Deserialization in Eclipse Vert.x
- CVE-2018-12540 High severity vulnerability that affects io.vertx:vertx-web
- CVE-2026-102461 Denial of service in Eclipse Vert.x
Sources
Also known as GHSA-vjw7-6gfq-6wf5.