# CVE-2023-40168: Malicious projects can read and upload arbitrary files from disk in TurboWarp Desktop

> Malicious projects in TurboWarp Desktop can read arbitrary local files and upload them to remote servers, requiring user interaction to open the project.

- **Severity:** High 7.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Aug 2023
- **Updated:** 1 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wg4p-vj7h-q82q

## What is CVE-2023-40168?

CVE-2023-40168 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in TurboWarp desktop, published on 17 Aug 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

TurboWarp is a desktop application that compiles scratch projects to JavaScript. TurboWarp Desktop versions prior to version 1.8.0 allowed a malicious project or custom extension to read arbitrary files from disk and upload them to a remote server. The only required user interaction is opening the sb3 file or loading the extension. The web version of TurboWarp is not affected. This bug has been addressed in commit `55e07e99b59` after an initial fix which was reverted. Users are advised to upgrade to version 1.8.0 or later. Users unable to upgrade should avoid opening sb3 files or loading extensions from untrusted sources.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-40168?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Turbowarp Turbowarp Desktop.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-40168?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-40168 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-40168 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-40168 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-40168 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-40168 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in TurboWarp desktop, published on 17 Aug 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-40168 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: TurboWarp desktop. 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-2023-40168/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-40168/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-40168
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-40168
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-40168

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-40168/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.