Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2025-50857

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-26
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
ZenTaoPMS v18.11 through v21.6.beta is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in /module/ai/control.php. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file upload

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

ZenTaoPMS versions 18.11 through 21.6.beta contain a directory traversal vulnerability in /module/ai/control.php. Attackers can exploit improper input validation during file upload operations to traverse directory paths and write arbitrary files, potentially achieving remote code execution on the server.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version beyond v21.6.beta. If immediate patching is not possible, implement web application firewall rules to block path traversal patterns (../, ..\) in upload requests and temporarily disable the affected ai module until the fix is applied.

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
High
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Identify installed ZenTaoPMS version
    Access the ZenTao administration panel and navigate to the About or System Information page to view the current version number. Alternatively, check the version file in the installation directory if accessible.
    Affected if The installed version is 18.11, 18.12, 19.x, 20.x, 21.0, 21.1, 21.2, 21.3, 21.4, 21.5, or 21.6.beta (any version from 18.11 through 21.6.beta inclusive).
  2. Verify presence of vulnerable ai module
    Check if the /module/ai/ directory exists in the ZenTao installation root. Look for the control.php file within that directory.
    Affected if The file /module/ai/control.php exists on the server, indicating the ai module is installed.
  3. Confirm ai module is enabled
    Log into the ZenTao admin panel and navigate to the module management or extension settings. Verify whether the ai module is listed as active or enabled.
    Affected if The ai module is enabled and accessible to users in the system.
  4. Check file upload capability in ai module
    Examine the /module/ai/control.php file for functions related to file uploads, particularly any upload handling logic that processes user-provided filenames or paths.
    Affected if The ai module contains file upload functionality that accepts user-supplied paths or filenames.

You are affected if your ZenTaoPMS version falls between 18.11 and 21.6.beta inclusive AND the ai module with file upload capability is enabled on your server.

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 beyond v21.6.beta. If immediate patching is not possible, implement web application firewall rules to block path traversal patterns (../, ..\) in upload requests and temporarily disable the affected ai module until the fix is applied.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2025-50857 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