CVE-2017-17715
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 · uneditedThe saveFile method in MediaController.java in the Telegram Messenger application before 2017-12-08 for Android allows directory traversal via a pathname obtained in a file-transfer request from a remote peer, as demonstrated by writing to tgnet.dat or tgnet.dat.bak.
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 confidenceDirectory traversal vulnerability in the saveFile method of MediaController.java in Telegram Android allows remote peers to write to arbitrary files (e.g., tgnet.dat) during file transfers by including path traversal sequences in the filename.
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< 2017-12-08CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Verify Telegram Android is installedOpen device Settings > Apps > find Telegram Messenger in the app list. Alternatively, check the installed apps via ADB: adb shell pm list packages | grep -i telegramAffected if Telegram Messenger for Android is present on the device
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Check Telegram installation or last update dateIn Settings > Apps > Telegram Messenger > App info, note the 'Installed' date or 'Last updated' date. Via ADB: adb shell dumpsys package org.telegram.messenger | grep -i 'firstInstall|lastUpdate'Affected if The installed or last updated date is before December 8, 2017
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Confirm the vulnerable component existsDecompile the APK and locate MediaController.java. Check the saveFile method for missing path sanitization when handling incoming filenames during file transfers.Affected if The saveFile method in MediaController.java lacks input validation for path traversal sequences (e.g., ../) in filenames
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Determine exposure to incoming file transfersReview Telegram usage patterns - the vulnerability is triggered when receiving files from remote peers via the Android app.Affected if The user receives files from other Telegram users on the Android app
A user is affected if Telegram Messenger for Android was installed or last updated before December 8, 2017 and receives files from remote contacts.
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 data2017-12-08
Update Telegram Messenger for Android to version released on or after 2017-12-08 which contains the patched MediaController.java.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-17715 — 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-2017-17715 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data