Description

Local File Inclusion via file:// URI in Migration Restore

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "4.4",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-13T17:17:26.513Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-13T17:17:26.513Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A Local File Inclusion vulnerability exists in the migration restore functionality due to improper handling of URI schemes. The vulnerability allows an attacker to leverage the file:// protocol handler to access arbitrary files on the underlying filesystem.\nSuccessful exploitation of this security flaw can lead to the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive system files, configuration data, and application source code, severely compromising the confidentiality of the affected environment.\nThe vulnerability resides within the migration restore component, which fails to adequately sanitize or restrict user-supplied input or URI streams before processing file-based operations.\nRisk implications include potential privilege escalation paths, exposure of credentials, and further compromise of the host infrastructure depending on the accessibility of read-protected resources.\nAn attacker capable of initiating or controlling the migration restore process can craft malicious payloads utilizing the file:// URI scheme to direct the application to read unintended local resources.\nExploitation requirements generally depend on the attacker's ability to supply or manipulate the migration source or restore configuration parameters processed by the vulnerable component.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and insecure URI scheme handling within the migration restore feature. When processing restoration tasks, the application accepts and parses URI inputs without properly enforcing restrictions against local stream wrappers such as file://.\nThe vulnerable component is the migration restore module responsible for fetching and processing backup or migration archives. Because the underlying file retrieval mechanism passes user-controlled URIs directly to file-handling functions, it fails to neutralize pseudo-protocols or absolute file paths.\nThe attack flow begins when an authenticated or otherwise privileged user (depending on access controls governing the migration feature) submits a crafted migration restore request containing a malicious file:// URI payload. For example, pointing the restore source to a sensitive file path like file:///etc/passwd or application configuration files.\nUpon receiving the request, the migration restore component initializes a file read operation using the supplied URI stream. The underlying system interprets the file:// protocol, bypassing intended directory restrictions or encapsulation boundaries designed to limit file access to specific storage repositories.\nThe payload behavior forces the application backend to read the targeted local file from the filesystem and potentially include its contents within error messages, logs, or processing outputs accessible to the operator, or use the file contents as part of the migration restoration pipeline.\nPost-exploitation impact includes arbitrary local file reading capabilities (Arbitrary File Read), which can expose database connection strings, cryptographic keys, environment variables, and system user lists, facilitating subsequent attacks against the host operating system or dependent services."
}