CVE-2024-57549
Path Traversal in Cmsimple 5.16
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2024-57549 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Cmsimple Cmsimple. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 48th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
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-2024-57549 is a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) affecting CMSimple 5.16, a content management system. The flaw allows unauthorized users to read CMS source code by manipulating the filename in the "file" parameter of a GET request. 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 confidentiality impact with low attack complexity and no prerequisites for authentication or user interaction.
Unauthenticated attackers with network access to a vulnerable CMSimple 5.16 instance can exploit this issue remotely. By crafting a GET request with a malicious "file" parameter value, such as directory traversal sequences, they can disclose sensitive source code files from the server, potentially exposing configuration details, credentials, or other proprietary information without affecting integrity or availability.
Research detailing the vulnerability and proof-of-concept exploitation is documented in the following references: https://gist.github.com/h4ckr4v3n/afbb87b5a05f283dbee705709c2769eb and https://github.com/h4ckr4v3n/cmsimple5.16_research/blob/main/CMSimple%205.16%20Sensitive%20information%20disclosure.md. These publications focus on sensitive information disclosure in CMSimple 5.16 but do not specify vendor-provided patches or mitigation steps.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-53624
Vulnerability Data
CMSimple 5.16 allows the user to read cms source code through manipulation of the file name in the file parameter of a GET request.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
—
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.