Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-22726

Path Traversal in Act Project Act ≤ 0.2.40

Public PoCPath Traversal
Published
20 January 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.0
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.013 67th percentile
Risk Priority 62 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-22726 is a high-severity Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type (CWE-434) vulnerability in Act Project Act. Its CVSS base score is 8.0 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 33% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

act is a project which allows for local running of github actions. The artifact server that stores artifacts from Github Action runs does not sanitize path inputs. This allows an attacker to download and overwrite arbitrary files on the host…

more

from a Github Action. This issue may lead to privilege escalation. The /upload endpoint is vulnerable to path traversal as filepath is user controlled, and ultimately flows into os.Mkdir and os.Open. The /artifact endpoint is vulnerable to path traversal as the path is variable is user controlled, and the specified file is ultimately returned by the server. This has been addressed in version 0.2.40. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade may, during implementation of Open and OpenAtEnd for FS, ensure to use ValidPath() to check against path traversal or clean the user-provided paths manually.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1505 Server Software Component Persistence
Adversaries may abuse legitimate extensible development features of servers to establish persistent access to systems.
T1505.003 Web Shell Persistence
Adversaries may backdoor web servers with web shells to establish persistent access to systems.
T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer Command And Control
Adversaries may transfer tools or other files from an external system into a compromised environment.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-7309Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2026-9102Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2023-28833Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2026-26984Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2020-6754Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2024-6707Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2024-13981Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2024-23946Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2024-37847Shared CWE-22, CWE-434
CVE-2023-26578Shared CWE-22, CWE-434

Affected Assets

act project
act
≤ 0.2.40

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.3.2
  • V5.1.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-434

Requiring identifiable owners for portable devices reduces the attack surface for unrestricted uploads of dangerous file types via anonymous media.

addresses: CWE-434

Dangerous file uploads can be detonated in the chamber to determine malice before any production write or execution occurs.

addresses: CWE-434

Prevents unrestricted writing of arbitrary or malicious firmware by keeping hardware write-protect enabled except under tightly controlled manual procedures.

addresses: CWE-22

Validates pathnames and filenames to prevent traversal outside intended directories.

addresses: CWE-434

Scans files from external sources on download/open/execute, blocking unrestricted uploads of dangerous file types.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-05 mostly match
prevents

Restricting execution of unauthorized software directly blocks dangerous uploaded files from running.

PR.PS-01 partial match
prevents

Hardened configuration baselines can enforce allowed file types and processing rules.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.

PR.PS-06 partial match
prevents

Secure development practices include input validation and file-type restrictions that prevent this weakness.

PR.AA-05 none match
prevents

PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Configuration and acceptance testing verify that file-upload handling enforces allowed types and does not permit dangerous content to be stored or executed.

prevents

Secure-coding guidelines and security testing explicitly address restrictions on allowed file types and upload handling, reducing the risk that dangerous file uploads are accepted without validation.

prevents

Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.

prevents

Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.

mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.

References