CVE-2023-42226
Path Traversal in Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced ≤ 11.0.33
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2023-42226 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.
Pat Infinite Solutions HelpdeskAdvanced versions up to and including 11.0.33 are affected by CVE-2023-42226, a directory traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) in the Email/SaveAttachment function. This flaw allows attackers to access files outside the intended directory by manipulating input parameters, as indicated by its CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), highlighting high confidentiality impact with network accessibility and no authentication required.
Remote unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network with low complexity and no user interaction needed. Successful exploitation enables reading sensitive files on the server, potentially exposing configuration data, user information, or other arbitrary files, though it does not affect integrity or availability.
Advisories reference a CVE list at https://gitlab.com/daniele_m/cve-list/-/blob/main/README.md, but specific mitigation or patch details are not detailed in available information.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-46685
Vulnerability Data
Pat Infinite Solutions HelpdeskAdvanced <= 11.0.33 is vulnerable to Directory Traversal via Email/SaveAttachment function.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.
Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.
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.
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.