Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-27142

Path Traversal in Localsend ≤ 1.17.0

Published
25 February 2025
Modified
28 February 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 6.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
EPSS Score 0.0054 43th percentile
Risk Priority 43 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-27142 is a medium-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Localsend Localsend. Its CVSS base score is 6.3 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 43th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); 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.

LocalSend is an open-source file-sharing application that operates over local networks. Prior to version 1.17.0, the endpoints POST /api/localsend/v2/prepare-upload and POST /api/localsend/v2/upload failed to sanitize supplied file paths, exposing a path traversal flaw (CWE-22). An attacker able to reach these endpoints could therefore cause the application to write files to arbitrary locations on the host filesystem.

Because LocalSend is designed for nearby devices, any adjacent-network actor can submit a crafted upload request that places executables in sensitive directories such as the Windows Startup folder or Linux shell configuration files. When the Quick Save feature is enabled, the write occurs without user interaction, resulting in remote command execution with the privileges of the LocalSend process. The CVSS 4.0 score of 6.3 reflects the adjacent-network attack vector combined with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The project’s security advisory GHSA-f7jp-p6j4-3522 and the corresponding commit e8635204ec782ded45bc7d698deb60f3c4105687 state that the issue is resolved in version 1.17.0; users should upgrade to obtain the path-sanitization fix. The associated EPSS score rose from lower values to a peak of 0.0859 on 2026-04-08 before receding to the current 0.0465, indicating a measurable increase in exploitation interest after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

LocalSend is a free, open-source app that allows users to securely share files and messages with nearby devices over their local network without needing an internet connection. Prior to version 1.17.0, due to the missing sanitization of the path in…

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the `POST /api/localsend/v2/prepare-upload` and the `POST /api/localsend/v2/upload` endpoint, a malicious file transfer request can write files to the arbitrary location on the system, resulting in the remote command execution. A malicious file transfer request sent by nearby devices can write files into an arbitrary directory. This usually allows command execution via the startup folder on Windows or Bash-related files on Linux. If the user enables the `Quick Save` feature, it will silently write files without explicit user interaction. Version 1.17.0 fixes this issue.

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-2025-21048Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-23939Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-7145Shared CWE-22
CVE-2023-42225Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-33109Shared CWE-22
CVE-2023-35016Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-10723Shared CWE-22
CVE-2023-1163Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-43996Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-48510Shared CWE-22

Affected Assets

localsend
localsend
≤ 1.17.0

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

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