What is CVE-2023-37896?

CVE-2023-37896 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 (go), affecting versions < 2.9.9. It is fixed in 2.9.9. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.

How severe is CVE-2023-37896?

CVE-2023-37896 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2023-37896?

github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 (go) versions < 2.9.9; github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei (go) versions < 2.9.9.

Is there a fix for CVE-2023-37896?

Yes. CVE-2023-37896 is fixed in 2.9.9. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2023-37896 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-37896 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2023-37896 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-2023-37896?

Upgrade: github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 to 2.9.9 or later, github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei to 2.9.9 or later.

CVE-2023-37896

Q: How severe is CVE-2023-37896?

CVE-2023-37896 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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.

Q: Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-37896?

github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 (go) versions < 2.9.9; github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei (go) versions < 2.9.9.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2023-37896?

Yes. CVE-2023-37896 is fixed in 2.9.9. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2023-37896 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-37896 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2023-37896 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-37896?

Upgrade: github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 to 2.9.9 or later, github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei to 2.9.9 or later.

Summary

Nuclei Path Traversal vulnerability

Overview

We have identified and addressed a security issue in the Nuclei project that affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) running custom templates. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payloads loading in sandbox mode.

Details

In the previous versions, there was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for sandbox flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from Go SDK implementation.

This issue has been fixed in the latest release, v2.9.9. We have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required.

The -sandbox option has been deprecated and is now divided into two new options: -lfa (allow local file access) which is disabled by default and -lna (restrict local network access) which can be optionally disabled by user. The -lfa allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and -lna blocks connections to the local/private network.

Affected Versions

This issue affected all versions of Nuclei prior to v2.9.9.

References

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank keomutchoiboi who reported this issue to us via our security email, [email protected]. We appreciate the responsible disclosure of this issue.

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-2023-37896 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no 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 (2.9.9); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 (< 2.9.9) github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei (< 2.9.9)

Security releases

github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 → 2.9.9 (go) github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei → 2.9.9 (go)

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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Remediation advice

We recommend all users upgrade to the latest version, v2.9.9, which includes the security fix.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-37896? CVE-2023-37896 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 (go), affecting versions < 2.9.9. It is fixed in 2.9.9. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
How severe is CVE-2023-37896? CVE-2023-37896 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2023-37896?
- github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 (go) (versions < 2.9.9)
- github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei (go) (versions < 2.9.9)
Is there a fix for CVE-2023-37896? Yes. CVE-2023-37896 is fixed in 2.9.9. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2023-37896 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-37896 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-2023-37896 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-2023-37896?
- Upgrade github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2 to 2.9.9 or later
- Upgrade github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei to 2.9.9 or later