# CVE-2023-49788: Improper handling of browser-side provided input in richdocuments path handling

> Attackers can overwrite or read files outside the session directory in the Built-in CODE Server due to improper path handling, requiring an upgrade.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 8 Dec 2023
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024

## What is CVE-2023-49788?

CVE-2023-49788 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in CollaboraOnline online, published on 8 Dec 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Collabora Online is a collaborative online office suite based on LibreOffice technology. Unlike a standalone dedicated Collabora Online server, the Built-in CODE Server (richdocumentscode) is run without chroot sandboxing. Vulnerable versions of the richdocumentscode app can be susceptible to attack via modified client->server commands to overwrite files outside the sub directory the server has provided for the transient session. Files which can be accessed are limited to those that the server process has access to. The bug was fixed in Collabora Online - Built-in CODE Server (richdocumentscode) release 23.5.602. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-501 (Trust Boundary Violation), CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-49788?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Collaboraoffice Richdocumentscode.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-49788?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-49788 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-49788 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-49788 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in CollaboraOnline online

- [CVE-2023-49782](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-49782/): Cross-Site-Scripting vulnerability in error message passing in richdocumentscode (high 7.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-49788 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-49788 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in CollaboraOnline online, published on 8 Dec 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-49788 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: CollaboraOnline online. 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-2023-49788/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-49788/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-49788
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-49788
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-49788

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-49788/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.