CVE-2022-41722: Path traversal on Windows in path/filepath

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2022-41722 is a high (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in go standard library path/filepath. EPSS estimates a 1.68% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 76.9% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 28-02-2023
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 07-03-2025
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

A path traversal vulnerability exists in filepath.Clean on Windows. On Windows, the filepath.Clean function could transform an invalid path such as "a/../c:/b" into the valid path "c:\b". This transformation of a relative (if invalid) path into an absolute path could enable a directory traversal attack. After fix, the filepath.Clean function transforms this path into the relative (but still invalid) path ".\c:\b".

• CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted DirectoryThe product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.