Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-40498

Path Traversal in Lg Simple Editor 3.21.0

High EPSSPath Traversal
Published
03 May 2024
Modified
10 April 2025
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.83 99.6th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-40498 is a critical-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Lg Simple Editor. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 0.4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

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

LG Simple Editor contains a directory traversal vulnerability in the cp command within the makeDetailContent method. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied paths before they are used in file operations, allowing traversal sequences to reach arbitrary locations on the filesystem. The issue is tracked as CVE-2023-40498, was originally reported as ZDI-CAN-19925, and carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8.

Unauthenticated remote attackers can send crafted requests that exploit the path-handling weakness to write or execute attacker-controlled content. Successful exploitation grants code execution in the context of the SYSTEM account on affected LG Simple Editor installations.

The associated Zero Day Initiative advisory (ZDI-23-1204) details the flaw, and the EPSS score has remained at a high level of 0.8912 since disclosure, indicating sustained exploitation interest.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A01:2025 Broken Access Control

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

LG Simple Editor cp Command Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of LG Simple Editor. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within…

more

the cp command implemented in the makeDetailContent method. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied path prior to using it in file operations. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of SYSTEM. . Was ZDI-CAN-19925.

CWE(s)
CWE-22

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.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-40492Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40508Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40502Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40499Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40495Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40497Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40512Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40494Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40514Same product: Lg Simple Editor
CVE-2023-40496Same product: Lg Simple Editor

Affected Assets

lg
simple editor
3.21.0

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

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

AC-3 Access Enforcement good match

Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.

AC-6 Least Privilege partial match

Least privilege reduces the impact of any unauthorized file access obtained via traversal.

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
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.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.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

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

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

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

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

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

A.8.3 Information access restriction partial match
mitigates

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

References