CVE-2021-45448 Path traversal in Pentaho Business Analytics Server

High 7.1 Published 2 Nov 2022 Updated 2 May 2025

Attackers can access arbitrary files outside the restricted directory via a user-supplied path in the Pentaho Analyzer plugin.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2021-45448?

CVE-2021-45448 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Hitachi Vantara Pentaho Business Analytics Server, published on 2 Nov 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Pentaho Business Analytics Server versions before 9.2.0.2 and 8.3.0.25 using the Pentaho Analyzer plugin exposes a service endpoint for templates which allows a user-supplied path to access resources that are out of bounds.

The software uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the software does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. By using special elements such as ".." and "/" separators, attackers can escape outside of the restricted location to access files or directories that are elsewhere on the system.

Weakness: CWE-22

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-45448?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Hitachi Vantara Pentaho.

How do I fix CVE-2021-45448?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-45448 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2021-45448 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-45448 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-6rjj-325g-5j42.