Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-42225

Path Traversal in Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced ≤ 11.0.33

Path Traversal
Published
13 January 2025
Modified
17 April 2025
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
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:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0076 52th percentile
Risk Priority 59 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-42225 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced. 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 48% 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.

CVE-2023-42225 is a directory traversal vulnerability affecting Pat Infinite Solutions HelpdeskAdvanced versions up to and including 11.0.33. The flaw resides in the Attachment/DownloadTempFile function, which allows attackers to access files outside the intended directory by manipulating input parameters, as classified under CWE-22. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating high severity primarily due to confidentiality impacts.

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network with low complexity and no user interaction required. By sending crafted requests to the vulnerable function, they can traverse directories and retrieve arbitrary files from the server, potentially exposing sensitive information such as configuration files, user data, or system details.

The primary reference for this CVE is a listing in a GitLab repository at https://gitlab.com/daniele_m/cve-list/-/blob/main/README.md, which documents the issue but does not provide specific details on patches or mitigation steps in the available information. Security practitioners should verify the vendor for updates beyond version 11.0.33 and implement input validation or restrict access to the affected endpoint as interim measures.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A01:2025 Broken Access Control

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Pat Infinite Solutions HelpdeskAdvanced <= 11.0.33 is vulnerable to Directory Traversal via the Attachment/DownloadTempFile function.

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-2023-42232Same product: Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced
CVE-2023-42226Same product: Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced
CVE-2023-42227Same product: Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced
CVE-2023-42229Same product: Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced
CVE-2025-21048Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-23939Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-7145Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-33109Shared CWE-22
CVE-2023-35016Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-10723Shared CWE-22

Affected Assets

zucchetti
helpdeskadvanced
≤ 11.0.33

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