Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-42227

Path Traversal in Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced ≤ 11.0.33

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-2023-42227 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-2023-42227 is a directory traversal vulnerability affecting Pat Infinite Solutions HelpdeskAdvanced in versions up to and including 11.0.33. The flaw exists in the WSCView/Save function, which allows attackers to manipulate file paths and access files outside the intended directory. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5, rated as High severity, with vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating network accessibility, low attack complexity, no required privileges or user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality.

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network by sending crafted requests to the WSCView/Save endpoint. Successful exploitation enables reading arbitrary files on the server, potentially exposing sensitive information such as configuration files, user data, or system details, without affecting integrity or availability.

Further details are available in the reference at https://gitlab.com/daniele_m/cve-list/-/blob/main/README.md. No specific patch or mitigation guidance is detailed in the provided information.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

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

CWE(s)

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-42225Same product: Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced
CVE-2023-42232Same product: Zucchetti Helpdeskadvanced
CVE-2023-42226Same 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

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.

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.

finds

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

prevents

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

prevents

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

prevents

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

prevents

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

mitigates

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

References