#VU98805 Path traversal in Terraform - CVE-2023-4782

Vulnerability identifier: #VU98805

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-4782

CWE-ID: CWE-22

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Terraform
Web applications / CMS

Vendor: HashiCorp

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to input validation error when processing directory traversal sequences during the "init" operation if run on maliciously crafted Terraform configuration. A local user can overwrite arbitrary files on the system and escalate privileges.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Terraform: 1.0.8 - 1.5.6

---

External links
https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2023-27-terraform-allows-arbitrary-file-write-during-init-operation/58082

---

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.