saloon: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
CVE-2026-33183 is a critical-severity improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory vulnerability in saloon from Saloonphp, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected saloon versions: < 4.0.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.59% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Check which version of saloon you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.0 | High | CNA (github.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.1 | Critical | NVD |
Official description
Saloon is a PHP library that gives users tools to build API integrations and SDKs. Prior to version 4.0.0, fixture names were used to build file paths under the configured fixture directory without validation. A name containing path segments (e.g. ../traversal or ../../etc/passwd) resulted in a path outside that directory. When the application read a fixture (e.g. for mocking) or wrote one (e.g. when recording responses), it could read or write files anywhere the process had access. If the fixture name was derived from user or attacker-controlled input (e.g. request parameters or config), this constituted a path traversal vulnerability and could lead to disclosure of sensitive files or overwriting of critical files. The fix in version 4.0.0 adds validation in the fixture layer (rejecting names with /, \, .., or null bytes, and restricting to a safe character set) and defense-in-depth in the storage layer (ensuring the resolved path remains under the base directory before any read or write).
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
- Use an application firewall that can detect attacks against this weakness. It can be beneficial in cases in which the code cannot be fixed (because it is controlled by a third party), as an emergency prevention measure while more comprehensive software assurance measures are applied, or to provide defense in depth.
More Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory vulnerabilities (CWE-22)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- docs.saloon.dev/upgrade/upgrading-from-v3-to-v4Release Notes
Other vulnerabilities in saloon
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
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