CVE-2023-27501
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 · uneditedSAP NetWeaver AS for ABAP and ABAP Platform - versions 700, 701, 702, 731, 740, 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, 756, 757, 791, allows an attacker to exploit insufficient validation of path information provided by users, thus exploiting a directory traversal flaw in an available service to delete system files. In this attack, no data can be read but potentially critical OS files can be deleted making the system unavailable, causing significant impact on both availability and integrity
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability in SAP NetWeaver AS for ABAP and ABAP Platform allows authenticated attackers to manipulate path inputs in an available service, enabling deletion of critical OS files. This results in system unavailability and integrity compromise without allowing data exfiltration.
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= 700= 701= 702= 731= 740= 750= 751= 752= 753= 754= 755= 756CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/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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Determine installed SAP NetWeaver ABAP versionExecute transaction code SM51 to view the Release and Kernel version, or use transaction SAAB -> Support Package Manager to view the SAP NetWeaver version. Alternatively, check system overview via transaction SM37 orRZ10 for kernel details.Affected if The displayed version matches any of the following: 700, 701, 702, 731, 740, 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, or 756.
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Identify exposed ABAP servicesReview transaction SICF (Activate and Maintain Services) to list active ICF services. Check for services that handle file or path-based operations, particularly custom or third-party services exposed via HTTP/HTTPS.Affected if Any ICF service handling path or file operations is active and accessible over network.
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Verify authentication configuration for vulnerable serviceCheck transaction SICF for the specific service path associated with this vulnerability. Review the logon procedure and authentication requirements under the 'Logon' tab of the ICF service configuration.Affected if The service allows authentication but does not enforce strict input validation for path parameters.
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Audit for path traversal filtersExamine the ICF service handler configuration or any custom ABAP code that processes path inputs in the suspected service. Look for validation logic that filters or sanitizes directory traversal sequences (such as ../ or ..\).Affected if No input validation or path sanitization is implemented for the service handling file path requests.
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Review system integrity logsCheck transaction SM37 or system logs (transaction SM21) for any unauthorized file deletion attempts or abnormal OS command executions that align with directory traversal patterns.Affected if Logs show evidence of path traversal attempts or unexpected file deletion operations on the OS level.
A system is affected if it runs SAP NetWeaver ABAP versions 700 through 756 and has an ICF service exposed that processes path inputs without proper validation, allowing authenticated users to traverse directories and delete OS files.
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 dataApply the latest SAP security patches for this vulnerability and implement strict input validation for path parameters in affected services to prevent traversal sequences.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27501 — 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-2023-27501 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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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