Description

A directory traversal and file upload vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to upload and execute arbitrary scripts on Check Point Management Server.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "9.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-22T13:17:11.963Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-22T13:17:11.963Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability involves a combination of directory traversal and arbitrary file upload flaws affecting the Check Point Management Server. The vulnerability permits an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass security constraints to upload malicious files to the server's filesystem.\nBy leveraging directory traversal techniques, an attacker can escape designated application directories to place executable scripts in locations that the web server or underlying system processes will execute.\nThe primary impact is Remote Code Execution (RCE), granting the attacker the ability to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the management server service. This compromises the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the entire management infrastructure. Because the vulnerability does not require authentication, it is highly critical, exposing the Management Server to complete system takeover from any network-accessible point.\nOrganizations must treat this as a high-priority risk, as it allows for persistent access, lateral movement within the network, and the potential exfiltration of sensitive security configurations and managed device data.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability originates from insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied filenames and path parameters within the Check Point Management Server’s upload mechanism. Specifically, the application fails to adequately constrain the file storage directory, allowing an attacker to utilize directory traversal sequences (e.g., ../) to escape the intended upload path.\nThe attack flow begins when an unauthenticated actor sends a specially crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable upload endpoint. By manipulating the filename parameter to include path traversal characters, the attacker directs the application to save a malicious file—typically a web shell or script—into a directory that is accessible by the web server or one that the operating system processes regularly executes.\nOnce the file is successfully placed on the server, the attacker triggers execution by requesting the file directly through its URL or via secondary system mechanisms that execute files within that directory. Because the system lacks adequate enforcement of file type restrictions or executable bit permissions in the target directory, the server processes the payload as legitimate code.\nThis exploit bypasses standard authentication mechanisms, meaning no prior session is required to initialize the attack. The attacker gains the capability to execute commands under the security context of the server process. Post-exploitation, the attacker can perform arbitrary actions, including creating new administrative users, exfiltrating sensitive Check Point configuration databases, intercepting traffic management data, or deploying persistent backdoors to maintain long-term control over the server.\nThe flaw essentially transforms a file upload feature into an arbitrary code execution primitive. The lack of proper boundary checks around user-controlled path input, combined with the ability to write to executable directories, constitutes the root cause of this critical security failure."
}