Path Traversal in ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core (CVE-2023-28465)

Summary

Path traversal in ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core (CVE-2023-28465). Confidential information can be exposed externally. Exploitable via TerminologyCacheManager. Mitigation: upgrade to 5.6.106 or later.

Original description

The description as published by the source.

Impact

Zip Slip protections implemented in CVE-2023-24057 (GHSA-jqh6-9574-5x22) can be bypassed due a partial path traversal vulnerability.

This issue allows a malicious actor to potentially break out of the TerminologyCacheManager cache directory. The impact is limited to sibling directories.

To demonstrate the vulnerability, consider userControlled.getCanonicalPath().startsWith("/usr/out") will allow an attacker to access a directory with a name like /usr/outnot.

Why?

To demonstrate this vulnerability, consider "/usr/outnot".startsWith("/usr/out").
The check is bypassed although /outnot is not under the /out directory.
It's important to understand that the terminating slash may be removed when using various String representations of the File object.
For example, on Linux, println(new File("/var")) will print /var, but println(new File("/var", "/") will print /var/;
however, println(new File("/var", "/").getCanonicalPath()) will print /var.

The Fix

Comparing paths with the java.nio.files.Path#startsWith will adequately protect againts this vulnerability.

For example: file.getCanonicalFile().toPath().startsWith(BASE_DIRECTORY) or file.getCanonicalFile().toPath().startsWith(BASE_DIRECTORY_FILE.getCanonicalFile().toPath())

Other Examples

CVE-2022-31159 - aws/aws-sdk-java
[CVE-2022-23457](https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-…

Source: OSV.dev (Open Source Vulnerabilities) NVD GitHub Advisory OSV

Auto-generated summary

Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.

A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-28465 has been found in ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like TerminologyCacheManager over the network to misuse the product.
Confidential information can be exposed externally.
What to do: upgrade ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core to 5.6.106 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core CVE-2023-28465" on the vendor's site.

CVE-2023-28465 (ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core) — CWE-22
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / unauthenticated / no user interaction
Attack surface: TerminologyCacheManager / String / File / getAbsolutePath
Patched: 5.6.106 — apply immediately
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.

❓ What is the problem

Path traversal (CWE-22) exists in ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via TerminologyCacheManager without authentication.

📍 Affected scope

Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core. Attack surface: TerminologyCacheManager / String / File / getAbsolutePath.

🔥 Severity

Severity: ?. Confidential information can be exposed externally.

🔧 How to fix

Update to 5.6.106.

🛡️ Workaround

Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.

🔍 Detection

Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Audit SBOM/dependencies to find affected services.

Response actions

Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order

1
Identify exposure identify
```
Audit SBOM/dependencies for affected components.
```
資産台帳・SBOM・依存マニフェストで ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core を使っているサービスとバージョンを洗い出す。
2
Apply patch patch
```
Upgrade ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.core to 5.6.106
```
ステージング環境で 5.6.106 に上げて回帰テスト → 本番反映。回帰テストはアプリの主要ハッピーパスを含めること。
3
Post-deployment verification verify
```
Confirm patched version is live in production
```
パッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。