# CVE-2024-51453: IBM Sterling Secure Proxy directory traversal

> Remote attackers can traverse directories via crafted URLs to view arbitrary files on IBM Sterling Secure Proxy systems.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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:** 28 May 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Aug 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2fcj-g7j8-pg57

## What is CVE-2024-51453?

CVE-2024-51453 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in IBM Sterling Secure Proxy, published on 28 May 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IBM Sterling Secure Proxy 6.2.0.0 through 6.2.0.1 could allow a remote attacker to traverse directories on the system. An attacker could send a specially crafted URL request containing "dot dot" sequences (/../) to view arbitrary files on the system.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-51453?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-51453?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-51453 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-51453 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-51453 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in IBM Sterling Secure Proxy

- [CVE-2024-38337](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38337/): IBM Sterling Secure Proxy improper input validation (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2024-41783](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-41783/): IBM Sterling Secure Proxy improper input validation (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2024-41784](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-41784/): IBM Sterling Secure Proxy directory traversal (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2016-6023](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6023/): Path traversal in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-47162](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-47162/): IBM Secure Proxy cross-site scripting (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-51453 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-51453 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in IBM Sterling Secure Proxy, published on 28 May 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-51453 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: IBM Sterling Secure Proxy. 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-2024-51453/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51453/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-51453
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-51453
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-51453

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51453/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.