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CVE-2025-51480: Path Traversal Vulnerability in ONNX 1.17.0

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Overview

The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of threats is a continuous challenge. One recent vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-51480, is a path traversal vulnerability in ONNX 1.17.0. This vulnerability allows attackers to overwrite arbitrary files by supplying crafted external_data.location paths that contain traversal sequences. This effectively bypasses the intended directory restrictions, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage. It is crucial for users and system administrators to understand the nature of this vulnerability and take necessary steps to mitigate it.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-51480
Severity: High (8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise, data leakage

Affected Products

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Product | Affected Versions

ONNX | 1.17.0

How the Exploit Works

The exploit works by taking advantage of a flaw in the external_data_helper.save_external_data function of ONNX 1.17.0. An attacker can manipulate the external_data.location path, which the ONNX software uses to save data, to include path traversal sequences. This can cause the software to write data to unintended locations, overwriting existing files or creating new ones. This could potentially lead to the execution of arbitrary code or unauthorized data access if system files are overwritten.

Conceptual Example Code

The following is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. The attacker crafts a JSON payload that includes a path traversal sequence in the external_data.location field:

POST /api/save_data HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"external_data": {
"location": "../../../etc/passwd",
"data": "malicious_data"
}
}

In this example, the server might end up saving the “malicious_data” to the “/etc/passwd” file, a critical system file in Unix-like systems, potentially leading to system compromise.

Mitigation

The recommended mitigation for CVE-2025-51480 is to apply the vendor patch. This should resolve the vulnerability and prevent future exploitation. In case the patch cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to monitor and block suspicious requests can serve as a temporary mitigation. It is also recommended to always follow the principle of least privilege when setting file and directory permissions, restricting the potential impact of such vulnerabilities.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

Ameeba and its authors do not endorse or condone malicious behavior and are not responsible for misuse of the content. Always follow ethical hacking guidelines, responsible disclosure practices, and local laws.

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