Summary
Directory Traversal vulnerability in GET/PUT allows attackers to Disclose Information or Write Files via a crafted GET/PUT request
Information Disclosure
When the GET method is attacked, attackers can read files which have a .data suffix and which are accompanied by a JSON file with the .meta suffix. This can lead to Information Disclosure and in some shared-hosting scenarios also to circumvention of authentication or other limitations on the outbound (GET) traffic.
For example, in a scenario where a single server has multiple instances of the application running (with separate DATA_ROOT settings), an attacker who has knowledge about the directory structure is able to read files from any other instance to which the process has read access.
If instances have individual authentication (for example, HTTP authentication via a reverse proxy, source IP based filtering) or other restrictions (such as quotas), attackers may circumvent those limits in such a scenario by using the Directory Traversal to retrieve data from the other instances.
File Write
If the associated XMPP server (or anyone knowing the SECRET_KEY) is malicious, they can write files outside the DATA_ROOT. The files which are written are constrained to have the .meta and the .data suffixes; the .meta file will contain the JSON with the Content-Type of the original request and the .data file will contain the payload.
Workarounds
- Apache can apparently be configured to filter such malicious paths when reverse-proxying.
- There are no other workarounds known.
References
Impact
Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.
CVE-2020-15239 has a CVSS score of 3.5 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (0.4.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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PR #12 fixes the issue. The PR has been merged into version 0.4.0 and 0.4.0 has been released and pushed to PyPI. Users are advised to upgrade immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2020-15239? CVE-2020-15239 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in xmpp-http-upload (pip), affecting versions < 0.4.0. It is fixed in 0.4.0. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- How severe is CVE-2020-15239? CVE-2020-15239 has a CVSS score of 3.5 (Low). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of xmpp-http-upload are affected by CVE-2020-15239? xmpp-http-upload (pip) versions < 0.4.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2020-15239? Yes. CVE-2020-15239 is fixed in 0.4.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2020-15239 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-15239 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2020-15239 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-15239? Upgrade
xmpp-http-uploadto 0.4.0 or later.