Overview
In the modern digital landscape, security vulnerabilities are a critical concern for businesses and individuals alike. The recent discovery of a new vulnerability, named CVE-2025-44137, in MapTiler Tileserver-php v2.0, has raised eyebrows among cybersecurity experts. This vulnerability is related to Directory Traversal, a type of attack where an attacker can gain unauthorized access to restricted directories and execute commands outside of the web server’s root directory.
The significance of CVE-2025-44137 lies in its ability to pose a severe threat to web servers using MapTiler Tileserver-php v2.0, potentially leading to system compromise and data leakage. Therefore, understanding and mitigating this vulnerability is of utmost importance.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-44137
Severity: High (8.2 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
MapTiler Tileserver-php | v2.0
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability is based on a flaw in the renderTile function within tileserver.php. The function, which is designed to deliver tiles stored as files on the server via web request, incorrectly handles file paths. This flaw allows an attacker to manipulate the file path by inserting “../”, which can enable the attacker to read any file on the webserver. The affected GET parameters are “TileMatrix”, “TileRow”, “TileCol”, and “Format”.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a sample HTTP request:
GET /tileserver.php?TileMatrix=../etc/passwd&TileRow=&TileCol=&Format= HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.comIn this example, the attacker sends a GET request to the server, manipulating the ‘TileMatrix’ parameter to traverse the directory structure and potentially access sensitive files such as ‘/etc/passwd’, which contains user account details.
Recommendations for Mitigation
To mitigate the risks posed by CVE-2025-44137, users of MapTiler Tileserver-php should apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. Regularly updating and patching software can also help prevent future exploitation of vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-44137.