{"id":86677,"date":"2026-03-13T12:13:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:13:56","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"cve-2025-54140-path-traversal-vulnerability-in-pyload-results-in-potential-system-compromise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-54140-path-traversal-vulnerability-in-pyload-results-in-potential-system-compromise\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-54140: Path Traversal Vulnerability in pyLoad Results in Potential System Compromise<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

This report discusses the critical vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-54140 in the open-source Download Manager, pyLoad. This flaw, found in version 0.5.0b3.dev89, allows an attacker to exploit a path traversal vulnerability. It is significant because it can lead to remote code execution, local privilege escalation, system-wide compromise, and even the establishment of persistent backdoors.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54140
\nSeverity: High (CVSS: 7.5)
\nAttack Vector: Network
\nPrivileges Required: User-level
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Potential system-wide compromise and data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

pyLoad | 0.5.0b3.dev89<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vulnerability exists in the \/json\/upload endpoint of pyLoad. An attacker, by manipulating the filename of an uploaded file, can traverse out of the intended upload directory. This allows them to write arbitrary files to any location on the system that is accessible to the pyLoad process.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

The following is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited:<\/p>\n

POST \/json\/upload HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nContent-Type: multipart\/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW\n------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"..\/..\/..\/..\/etc\/passwd\"\nContent-Type: text\/plain\nroot:x:0:0:root:\/root:\/bin\/bash\n------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this example, an attacker uploads a file with a manipulated filename, aiming to overwrite the ‘\/etc\/passwd’ file, a critical system file in Unix-like operating systems. If the malicious upload is successful, the attacker could potentially gain root-level access to the system.<\/p>\n
Mitigation Guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n
Users of pyLoad version 0.5.0b3.dev89 are advised to immediately upgrade to version 0.5.0b3.dev90 to mitigate this vulnerability. In cases where the upgrade cannot be promptly performed, employing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview This report discusses the critical vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-54140 in the open-source Download Manager, pyLoad. This flaw, found in version 0.5.0b3.dev89, allows an attacker to exploit a path traversal vulnerability. It is significant because it can lead to remote code execution, local privilege escalation, system-wide compromise, and even the establishment of persistent backdoors. Vulnerability […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-86677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t