CVE-2018-20092
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 · uneditedPTC ThingWorx Platform through 8.3.0 is vulnerable to a directory traversal attack on ZIP files via a POST request.
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 confidencePTC ThingWorx Platform through version 8.3.0 contains a directory traversal vulnerability in its ZIP file extraction logic. An attacker can craft a ZIP archive containing path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../') in filenames and upload it via POST request, allowing arbitrary file writes outside the intended extraction directory.
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>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.14< 7.0.0>= 7.1.0, <= 7.1.18>= 7.2.0, <= 7.2.21>= 7.3.0, <= 7.3.18>= 7.4.0, <= 7.4.14>= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.12>= 8.1.0, <= 8.1.8>= 8.2.0, <= 8.2.5= 8.3.0CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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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Identify ThingWorx Platform versionCheck the version information in the ThingWorx platform installation directory, typically found in the platform or Tomcat logs, or via the ThingWorx Composer interface under System > Logging > Version Info. Compare the installed version against the affected ranges: 7.0.0-7.0.14, 7.1.0-7.1.18, 7.2.0-7.2.21, 7.3.0-7.3.18, 7.4.0-7.4.14, 8.0.0-8.0.12, 8.1.0-8.1.8, 8.2.0-8.2.5, and 8.3.0.Affected if The installed version falls within any of the listed affected version ranges.
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Check if ZIP import or bulk upload features are in useReview ThingWorx application logs for any import/export operations involving ZIP archives. Look for endpoints such as /ThingWorx/Composer, /ThingWorx/Repository, or custom mashup endpoints that handle ZIP file uploads. Search log files for patterns like 'ZIP', 'import', 'upload', 'extract' related to file operations.Affected if The platform processes ZIP file imports or has imported ZIP archives from untrusted sources.
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Inspect web server configuration for file upload handlersExamine the Tomcat or web server configuration files (server.xml, web.xml) and ThingWorx platform settings for servlet mappings that handle multipart file uploads, particularly those accepting ZIP content types. Check for any custom upload endpoints that may accept ZIP archives.Affected if File upload handlers accepting ZIP archives are exposed without additional path validation.
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Review access logs for suspicious ZIP uploadsSearch HTTP access logs for POST requests containing '.zip' in the URI or content-type header, especially those with path traversal patterns in the filename parameter. Look for repeated uploads from the same source or unusual import patterns.Affected if There are POST requests uploading ZIP files to the platform, particularly with unusual or crafted filenames.
The environment is affected if the installed ThingWorx Platform version falls within the vulnerable version ranges AND the platform has enabled features that accept ZIP file uploads for import or extraction operations.
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 data7.0.0
Upgrade to a patched ThingWorx version (8.3.0 or later with cumulative hotfixes). Implement strict validation of filenames within ZIP archives and restrict extraction paths to prevent traversal sequences.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-20092 — 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-2018-20092 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
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