Summary
NVIDIA AIStore for Linux contains a path traversal vulnerability in the Promote API that may allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to read files accessible to the target process. The issue becomes risky when the API accepts attacker-controlled absolute source paths without adequately restricting them to approved locations.
NVIDIA AIStore for Linux contains a path traversal vulnerability in the Promote API that may allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to read files accessible to the target process. The issue becomes risky when the API accepts attacker-controlled absolute source paths without adequately restricting them to approved locations.
Affected context
The vulnerability occurs in NVIDIA AIStore deployments where the Promote API is reachable by remote clients and uses a caller-supplied source path to identify files for promotion. Risk is greater when the service permits unauthenticated requests and does not enforce path containment, approved directories, or equivalent filesystem access boundaries.
The vulnerability occurs in NVIDIA AIStore deployments where the Promote API is reachable by remote clients and uses a caller-supplied source path to identify files for promotion. Risk is greater when the service permits unauthenticated requests and does not enforce path containment, approved directories, or equivalent filesystem access boundaries.
Exploit preconditions
- Attack surface: Network-accessible NVIDIA AIStore Promote API
- Required access: No authentication may be required when the affected endpoint is exposed
- Trigger point: A Promote API request containing a crafted absolute source path
- Why exploitation is possible: The supplied path may be used to access files outside the intended promotion directory, subject to the permissions of the target process
- Attack surface: Network-accessible NVIDIA AIStore Promote API
- Required access: No authentication may be required when the affected endpoint is exposed
- Trigger point: A Promote API request containing a crafted absolute source path
- Why exploitation is possible: The supplied path may be used to access files outside the intended promotion directory, subject to the permissions of the target process
Why this happens
The underlying bug is improper restriction of a user-controlled filesystem path. When an API accepts an absolute source path without canonicalizing it and verifying that it remains within an authorized directory, path traversal can bypass intended filesystem boundaries. This behavior maps to CWE-22, Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, commonly known as path traversal.
The underlying bug is improper restriction of a user-controlled filesystem path. When an API accepts an absolute source path without canonicalizing it and verifying that it remains within an authorized directory, path traversal can bypass intended filesystem boundaries. This behavior maps to CWE-22, Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, commonly known as path traversal.
Potential impact
- An unauthenticated attacker may read sensitive files accessible to the service
- Credentials, configuration data, or operational metadata could be disclosed
- Exposed files could support follow-on compromise or lateral movement
- The confidentiality of the host and stored data may be reduced
- An unauthenticated attacker may read sensitive files accessible to the service
- Credentials, configuration data, or operational metadata could be disclosed
- Exposed files could support follow-on compromise or lateral movement
- The confidentiality of the host and stored data may be reduced
General mitigation guidance
Mitigation generally focuses on reducing trust in client-supplied paths and
enforcing filesystem boundaries.
Common defensive patterns include:
- Accepting logical object identifiers rather than arbitrary filesystem paths
- Canonicalizing paths before authorization checks
- Enforcing that resolved paths remain beneath an approved base directory
- Applying allowlists for permitted source locations and file types
- Restricting unauthenticated access to administrative or file-handling APIs
- Running the service with the minimum filesystem permissions required
- Avoiding exposure of sensitive host paths to the service process
Mitigation generally focuses on reducing trust in client-supplied paths and
enforcing filesystem boundaries.
Common defensive patterns include:
- Accepting logical object identifiers rather than arbitrary filesystem paths
- Canonicalizing paths before authorization checks
- Enforcing that resolved paths remain beneath an approved base directory
- Applying allowlists for permitted source locations and file types
- Restricting unauthenticated access to administrative or file-handling APIs
- Running the service with the minimum filesystem permissions required
- Avoiding exposure of sensitive host paths to the service process
How teams detect issues like this
Organizations can look for this weakness through:
- Static analysis rules identifying filesystem operations fed by request parameters
- Code review checks for missing canonicalization and path-containment validation
- API tests using absolute paths, parent-directory segments, and symbolic-link edge cases
- Access-control reviews for unauthenticated Promote API exposure
- Runtime monitoring for unusual file-read activity by the AIStore process
- Policy enforcement requiring approved path allowlists and least-privilege service accounts
Automated security review tools may help identify path handling and authorization
patterns that warrant manual validation.
Organizations can look for this weakness through:
- Static analysis rules identifying filesystem operations fed by request parameters
- Code review checks for missing canonicalization and path-containment validation
- API tests using absolute paths, parent-directory segments, and symbolic-link edge cases
- Access-control reviews for unauthenticated Promote API exposure
- Runtime monitoring for unusual file-read activity by the AIStore process
- Policy enforcement requiring approved path allowlists and least-privilege service accounts
Automated security review tools may help identify path handling and authorization
patterns that warrant manual validation.
Sources
| Source | Link |
|---|---|
| github. | github.com/ |
| nvd. | nvd.nist.gov/ |
| cve. | cve.org/ |
