Overview
The world of cybersecurity is in a constant state of flux, with new vulnerabilities being discovered and exploited on a regular basis. One such vulnerability that has been recently identified and added to the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system is CVE-2025-41714. This severe security flaw lies in the upload endpoint of certain systems, where the ‘Upload-Key’ request header is not appropriately validated. This could potentially allow an authenticated attacker to manipulate the path traversal sequences and cause the server to create upload-related artifacts beyond the intended storage location.
The vulnerability is of critical importance as it may lead to arbitrary file write and in certain configurations, can be leveraged to achieve remote code execution, hence causing potential system compromise or data leakage. It is therefore essential for organizations and individuals to understand and mitigate this vulnerability promptly.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-41714
Severity: Critical (CVSS Score: 8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: User
User Interaction: Required
Impact: A successful exploit may lead to system compromise or data leakage, with potential for remote code execution
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
[Insert product] | [Insert affected version]
[Insert product] | [Insert affected version]
How the Exploit Works
The root cause of the vulnerability is insufficient validation of the ‘Upload-Key’ request header in the upload endpoint. An authenticated attacker can exploit this flaw by supplying malicious path traversal sequences in the ‘Upload-Key’ header. This action can trick the server into creating upload-related artifacts outside the intended storage location. In certain vulnerable configurations, this can lead to arbitrary file write, allowing the attacker to modify or overwrite sensitive files. In a worst-case scenario, the attacker can leverage this flaw to execute remote code, potentially leading to a full system compromise.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
POST /vulnerable/upload_endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
Upload-Key: "../../../../etc/passwd"
{ "malicious_payload": "..." }In this example, the attacker is attempting to overwrite the “/etc/passwd” file, which contains user password data on Unix-like systems, by manipulating the ‘Upload-Key’ header. The malicious payload would contain the data to be written to the file.
Please note that this is a conceptual example and the actual exploit would be dependent on the specific system, its configuration, and the attacker’s intent.
