BACK TO NEWS
Exploits

Critical Directory Traversal Vulnerability Discovered in aiohttp 3.9.1 (CVE Pending)

2 min readSource: Exploit Database

Security researchers publish PoC exploit for directory traversal flaw in aiohttp 3.9.1, enabling unauthorized file access. Patch immediately.

aiohttp 3.9.1 Affected by Directory Traversal Exploit (PoC Released)

Security researchers have disclosed a critical directory traversal vulnerability in aiohttp 3.9.1, a popular asynchronous HTTP client/server framework for Python. A proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit has been published, demonstrating how attackers can leverage the flaw to access sensitive files outside the intended directory structure.

Technical Details

The vulnerability, identified in aiohttp version 3.9.1, allows unauthenticated attackers to perform directory traversal attacks via specially crafted HTTP requests. While no CVE ID has been assigned at the time of reporting, the exploit (published on Exploit-DB as ID 52474) highlights the risk of unauthorized file disclosure.

Key technical aspects include:

  • Affected Software: aiohttp 3.9.1 (Python async HTTP framework)
  • Attack Vector: Malicious HTTP requests with path traversal sequences (e.g., ../)
  • Impact: Arbitrary file read access on vulnerable servers
  • Exploit Availability: Public PoC released on Exploit-DB

Impact Analysis

Organizations running aiohttp 3.9.1 in server mode are at risk of exposing sensitive files, including configuration files, credentials, or other critical data. The flaw could be exploited remotely without authentication, making it a high-severity issue for affected deployments.

Security teams should assume active exploitation is possible, given the public availability of the PoC. Immediate patching or mitigation is strongly recommended.

Recommendations

  1. Upgrade Immediately: Monitor the aiohttp project for an official patch and apply it as soon as available.
  2. Temporary Mitigations:
    • Restrict access to aiohttp servers behind firewalls or VPNs.
    • Implement input validation to block path traversal sequences.
    • Disable directory listing if not required.
  3. Monitor for Exploitation: Review server logs for suspicious requests containing ../ or other traversal patterns.

For further details, refer to the original PoC on Exploit-DB.

This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Share

TwitterLinkedIn