CVE-2023-40514
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 FileManagerController getImageByFilename Directory Traversal Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of LG Simple Editor. Although authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability, the existing authentication mechanism can be bypassed. The specific flaw exists within the getImageByFilename method in the FileManagerController class. 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 disclose information in the context of SYSTEM. . Was ZDI-CAN-20016.
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 LG Simple Editor's FileManagerController getImageByFilename method allows authenticated attackers (authentication can be bypassed) to read arbitrary files on the system with SYSTEM privileges due to lack of proper validation of user-supplied paths before file operations.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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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Locate LG Simple Editor installationSearch for files or directories containing 'Simple Editor' or 'LG' in the application path, typically found in web server document roots or dedicated application directoriesAffected if LG Simple Editor version 3.21.0 is installed on the system
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Identify installed versionCheck version information in application metadata files, about page, or version manifest - commonly found in version.txt, package.json, or the main executable's propertiesAffected if The installed version is exactly 3.21.0
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Verify FileManagerController component existsLocate the FileManagerController file within the application directory structure, typically under the controllers or src folderAffected if The FileManagerController with getImageByFilename method is present in the installation
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Confirm web service is accessibleVerify the LG Simple Editor web interface is reachable over HTTP/HTTPS - the vulnerability is exploitable via the web endpointAffected if The web service is running and accessible (authentication bypass makes this particularly risky)
A system is affected if LG Simple Editor version 3.21.0 is installed with the FileManagerController component accessible via the web interface.
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 input validation with path canonicalization to prevent directory traversal, and fix the authentication bypass vulnerability. Apply vendor patches when available.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40514 — 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-2023-40514 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