CVE-2023-38950
Path Traversal in Zkteco Biotime ≤ 9.0.1
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2023-38950 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Zkteco Biotime. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 0.3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
A path traversal vulnerability exists in the iclock API of ZKTeco BioTime version 8.5.5. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-38950 and assigned CWE-22, permits unauthenticated remote attackers to supply a crafted payload that traverses directories and reads arbitrary files on the affected system. The issue carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 and was subsequently corrected in ZKBioTime version 9.0.120240617.19506.
Unauthenticated attackers reachable over the network can exploit the vulnerability without credentials or user interaction. Successful exploitation grants read access to sensitive files, resulting in high confidentiality impact while leaving integrity and availability unaffected.
Vendor and researcher advisories indicate that upgrading to the patched ZKBioTime release resolves the issue. Public references, including disclosures from Claroty Team82 and an exploit listing on Packet Storm, document the flaw and the availability of proof-of-concept code. The associated EPSS score currently stands at 0.8216 with a recorded peak of 0.8340.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-42710
Vulnerability Data
A path traversal vulnerability in the iclock API of ZKTeco BioTime v8.5.5 allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files via supplying a crafted payload. This vulnerability was fixed in version 9.0.120240617.19506 of ZKBioTime.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 19 May 2025
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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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.
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.
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 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.
Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.
Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.
Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.
Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.
Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.