dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2024-38449

HIGH · 7.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
83/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
A Directory Traversal vulnerability in KasmVNC 1.3.1.230e50f7b89663316c70de7b0e3db6f6b9340489 and possibly earlier versions allows remote authenticated attackers to browse parent directories and read the content of files outside the scope of the application.

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 in KasmVNC allows authenticated remote attackers to escape the intended directory boundaries and access files outside the application scope by manipulating file path references with parent directory traversal sequences (e.g., '../').

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of KasmVNC that includes proper path validation and sandboxing to prevent directory traversal, or implement input sanitization that validates and normalizes file paths before use.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Identify if KasmVNC is installed
    Check for KasmVNC processes running on the system (e.g., 'ps aux | grep -i kasm' or 'systemctl list-units | grep -i vnc') or look for KasmVNC-related packages/files on the system
    Affected if KasmVNC is not present on the system, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Determine the installed KasmVNC version
    Check the installed version using package manager (e.g., 'dpkg -l | grep -i kasmvnc', 'rpm -qa | grep -i kasmvnc') or examine the KasmVNC binary/service for version information (e.g., 'kasmvnc --version' or 'kasmvnc -V' if available)
    Affected if The installed version is older than the patched version containing the directory traversal fix; if the version is unknown, further investigation is needed
  3. Verify if remote authentication is enabled
    Examine the KasmVNC configuration files (typically found in /etc/kasmvnc/ or the config directory where KasmVNC stores settings) for authentication settings, specifically looking for 'Password' or 'AuthMode' parameters that enable remote user authentication
    Affected if Remote authentication is enabled, allowing authenticated users to potentially exploit the directory traversal flaw; if only local console access is permitted, the attack surface is reduced
  4. Inspect file serving or web asset configuration
    Review KasmVNC configuration files for settings related to file serving, web shares, or static asset paths (keywords: 'File', 'Share', 'Path', 'Directory', 'Static') that determine what directories the application serves or accesses
    Affected if The configuration exposes file system paths or enables file transfer features, which could allow the directory traversal to reach sensitive files outside the intended scope
  5. Check for signs of directory traversal attempts in logs
    Review KasmVNC log files (typically in /var/log/kasmvnc/ or similar locations) for patterns containing '../' or '..\' in file access requests, particularly those involving authenticated sessions
    Affected if Log evidence shows directory traversal sequences in file access requests, indicating active exploitation attempts against the vulnerability

A user is affected if KasmVNC is installed with remote authentication enabled and the installed version predates the patched release containing proper path validation and sandboxing for directory traversal prevention.

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

Upgrade to a patched version of KasmVNC that includes proper path validation and sandboxing to prevent directory traversal, or implement input sanitization that validates and normalizes file paths before use.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2024-38449 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data