Security Resilience

CVE-2023-33177

Path Traversal in Xibosignage Xibo 1.8.0 – 2.3.17

Published
30 May 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.070 94th percentile
Risk Priority 80 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-33177 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Xibosignage Xibo. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data Obfuscation (T1001); ranked in the top 6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

Xibo CMS contains a path traversal vulnerability in its layout import function. An authenticated user can upload a specially crafted zip archive that writes arbitrary files outside the designated library directory, executing as the webserver user. The flaw is tracked as CWE-22 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8.

An attacker with a valid CMS account can leverage the issue to place a PHP webshell inside the web root, resulting in remote code execution under the webserver account. The attack requires only network access to the import endpoint and no user interaction beyond authentication.

The project addressed the flaw in versions 2.3.17 and 3.3.5; hosted Xibo Signage customers received automatic remediation. Public references include the GitHub security advisory and the corresponding commits that added path validation to the import routine. EPSS rose from a low baseline to a peak of 0.3433 before receding to the current value of 0.0675, indicating a period of increased exploitation interest after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Xibo is a content management system (CMS). A path traversal vulnerability exists in the Xibo CMS whereby a specially crafted zip file can be uploaded to the CMS via the layout import function by an authenticated user which would allow…

more

creation of files outside of the CMS library directory as the webserver user. This can be used to upload a PHP webshell inside the web root directory and achieve remote code execution as the webserver user. Users should upgrade to version 2.3.17 or 3.3.5, which fix this issue. Customers who host their CMS with Xibo Signage have already received an upgrade or patch to resolve this issue regardless of the CMS version that they are running.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1001 Data Obfuscation Command And Control
Adversaries may obfuscate command and control traffic to make it more difficult to detect.
T1003.003 NTDS Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access or create a copy of the Active Directory domain database in order to steal credential information, as well as obtain other information about domain members such as devices, users, and access rights.
T1003.004 LSA Secrets Credential Access
Adversaries with SYSTEM access to a host may attempt to access Local Security Authority (LSA) secrets, which can contain a variety of different credential materials, such as credentials for service accounts.
T1003.006 DCSync Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access credentials and other sensitive information by abusing a Windows Domain Controller's application programming interface (API)(Citation: Microsoft DRSR Dec 2017) (Citation: Microsoft GetNCCChanges) (Citati…
T1016.001 Internet Connection Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may check for Internet connectivity on compromised systems.
T1018 Remote System Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of other systems by IP address, hostname, or other logical identifier on a network that may be used for Lateral Movement from the current system.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-27783Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-45390Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-7631Shared CWE-22
CVE-2023-22914Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-43165Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-13471Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-39787Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-47535Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-6804Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-32943Shared CWE-22

Affected Assets

xibosignage
xibo
1.8.0 — 2.3.17 · 3.0.0 — 3.3.5

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

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Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

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Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

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

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-22

Validates pathnames and filenames to prevent traversal outside intended directories.

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-02 partial match
blocks

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.AA-05 none match
blocks

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.

removes
removes
removes
removes
removes

References