PfsenseApplication · Netgate
CVE-2014-4690
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedMultiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in pfSense before 2.1.4 allow (1) remote attackers to read arbitrary .info files via a crafted path in the pkg parameter to pkg_mgr_install.php and allow (2) remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files via the downloadbackup parameter to system_firmware_restorefullbackup.php.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceTwo directory traversal vulnerabilities in pfSense before 2.1.4: (1) unauthenticated remote attackers can read arbitrary .info files via crafted path in the pkg parameter to pkg_mgr_install.php, and (2) authenticated remote users can read arbitrary files via the downloadbackup parameter to system_firmware_restorefullbackup.php.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
PfsenseApplication
<= 2.1.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed pfSense versionLog into the pfSense web UI and navigate to Status > Dashboard, or run 'pfSense -v' on the console. The version number is displayed prominently on the dashboard header.Affected if The installed version is 2.1.3 or earlier (any version <= 2.1.3)
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Check if unauthenticated pkg_mgr_install.php is accessibleFrom an unauthenticated browser session, attempt to access the URI '/pkg_mgr_install.php?pkg=../../../../etc/passwd.info' or similar path traversal pattern. Check if the server returns the contents of a .info file.Affected if The server returns file contents from .info files without requiring authentication (confirms first vulnerability is exploitable)
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Verify authentication requirement for system_firmware_restorefullbackup.phpAs an authenticated admin user, navigate to or send a request to 'system_firmware_restorefullbackup.php' with a manipulated 'downloadbackup' parameter such as '../../../etc/passwd'. Observe if arbitrary file content is returned.Affected if The parameter allows directory traversal and returns arbitrary file contents (confirms second vulnerability is exploitable)
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Confirm vulnerability exposure via version check aloneIf version verification shows pfSense <= 2.1.3, the system falls within the affected range and both directory traversal vulnerabilities are present in the default configuration.Affected if Version is 2.1.3 or lower regardless of whether the specific parameter exploits have been manually verified
A pfSense installation is affected if its version is 2.1.3 or earlier, as both directory traversal vulnerabilities exist in those versions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade to pfSense 2.1.4 or later to obtain the patch for these path traversal vulnerabilities. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, implement input validation and path sanitization on the pkg and downloadbackup parameters to prevent directory traversal characters.
Fix this in Pfsense
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4690 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-4690 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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