CVE-2023-40494
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 · uneditedLG Simple Editor deleteFolder Directory Traversal Arbitrary File Deletion Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to delete arbitrary files on affected installations of LG Simple Editor. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the deleteFolder method. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied path prior to using it in file operations. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to delete files in the context of SYSTEM. . Was ZDI-CAN-19921.
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 confidenceLG Simple Editor contains a directory traversal vulnerability in its deleteFolder method that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to delete arbitrary files on the system. The method fails to validate user-supplied path inputs, enabling attackers to use traversal sequences (such as '../') to navigate outside the intended directory and delete any file accessible to the application, which runs with SYSTEM privileges.
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= 3.21.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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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Identify LG Simple Editor installationSearch for LG Simple Editor installation directories or check installed programs list on the system. Look for application files, configuration files, or web application directories related to this product.Affected if LG Simple Editor version 3.21.0 is found installed on the system
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Confirm installed versionLocate and inspect version information files, about dialog, or application metadata that displays the installed version of LG Simple Editor. Compare against the affected version 3.21.0.Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.21.0
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Verify deleteFolder endpoint is accessibleCheck if the web interface or API for LG Simple Editor exposes the deleteFolder functionality. This may be accessible via HTTP/HTTPS requests to the application endpoint.Affected if The deleteFolder method is exposed and accessible without authentication
The environment is affected if LG Simple Editor version 3.21.0 is installed and the deleteFolder functionality is accessible, allowing unauthenticated users to manipulate file paths.
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 dataImplement strict path validation in the deleteFolder method to ensure the provided path resolves within an allowed directory whitelist or use canonical path comparison to prevent traversal sequences. Additionally, remove or restrict the SYSTEM-level execution context if possible.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40494 — 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-2023-40494 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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