Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2024-36059

CRITICAL · 9.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Directory Traversal vulnerability in Kalkitech ASE ASE61850 IEDSmart upto and including version 2.3.5 allows attackers to read/write arbitrary files via the IEC61850 File Transfer protocol.

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 confidence

A directory traversal vulnerability exists in the IEC61850 File Transfer protocol implementation of Kalkitech ASE61850 IEDSmart up to version 2.3.5. Attackers can manipulate file paths using path traversal sequences (such as '../') to escape the intended directory and read or write files anywhere on the accessible filesystem that the application has permissions to access.

MitigationApply vendor patch/upgrade to version 2.3.5+ if available. If no patch exists, implement strict input validation on file paths in the IEC61850 File Transfer functionality to reject paths containing traversal sequences and ensure files are restricted to an allowed directory.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS 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
Low
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify IEDSmart version
    Locate the IEDSmart installation directory and check the version information, typically found in the application binary properties, about dialog, or a version file. On Windows, right-click the executable and select Properties > Details to view File Version.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.3.5 or lower (any version up to and including 2.3.5 is affected)
  2. Confirm IEC61850 protocol stack is active
    Check the IEDSmart configuration files or runtime settings for the IEC61850 protocol stack being enabled. Look for configuration entries related to IEC61850 communication in the main config file (commonly named config.xml, iec61850.xml, or similar in the installation directory.
    Affected if IEC61850 protocol support is enabled in the IEDSmart configuration
  3. Verify File Transfer module is enabled
    Locate the IEC61850 File Transfer configuration settings within the IEDSmart configuration. This is typically found in the IEC61850-specific config file under a section for file transfer or file services. Check for enabled=true or similar flags.
    Affected if The IEC61850 File Transfer functionality module is enabled or configured in the product
  4. Inspect file transfer directory restrictions
    Examine the file transfer configuration to see if a restricted base directory is defined for file operations. Look for parameters that specify allowed directories or path restrictions for the file transfer feature.
    Affected if No strict directory restriction is configured, or the configuration allows arbitrary path specifications

You are affected if you are running IEDSmart version 2.3.5 or below with the IEC61850 File Transfer module enabled and without strict directory restrictions on file transfer paths.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patch/upgrade to version 2.3.5+ if available. If no patch exists, implement strict input validation on file paths in the IEC61850 File Transfer functionality to reject paths containing traversal sequences and ensure files are restricted to an allowed directory.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-36059 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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