CVE-2024-40445
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 · uneditedA directory traversal vulnerability in forkosh Mime TeX before version 1.77 allows attackers on Windows systems to read or append arbitrary files by manipulating crafted input paths.
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 · moderate confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability in forkosh Mime TeX prior to version 1.77 allows attackers on Windows systems to manipulate input paths using traversal sequences (e.g., ../) to read or append content to arbitrary files on the host system.
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< 1.77CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 Mime TeX installationSearch for mimetex executable, CGI script, or associated files on the system. Common locations include web server CGI directories, /usr/local/bin/, or application directories.Affected if Mime TeX executable or script is found on a Windows host
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Identify installed versionRun mimetex with --version flag, or check the binary/script metadata for version information. Compare the version number to the affected range.Affected if Version is less than 1.77 (e.g., 1.76, 1.75, etc.)
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Confirm operating systemDetermine if the host operating system is Windows. This vulnerability only affects Windows deployments.Affected if Mime TeX is running on a Windows system (any version)
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Check for web-facing CGI accessVerify if Mime TeX is exposed as a CGI script or web service that accepts user-supplied input paths.Affected if Mime TeX CGI interface is accessible and accepts input parameters
A user is affected if Mime TeX version is below 1.77, is running on Windows, and accepts input that could contain path traversal sequences.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.77
Upgrade to Mime TeX version 1.77 or later; alternatively, implement strict input validation to reject path traversal sequences on Windows deployments.
Mime TeX version 1.77
- 1. Identify the current Mime TeX version installed in your environment
- 2. Download Mime TeX version 1.77 from the official forkosh repository (github.com/forkosh/mimetex)
- 3. Replace the existing mimetex executable with the version 1.77 binary
- 4. Verify the new version by running `mimetex --version` or checking the help output
- 5. Test that Mime TeX functions correctly with your existing LaTeX expressions
- 6. On Windows systems specifically, ensure that any web-facing applications using Mime TeX are tested to confirm the directory traversal vulnerability is resolved
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-40445 — 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-2024-40445 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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