{"id":"CVE-2023-37896","aliases":["EUVD-2023-2189","GHSA-2xx4-jj5v-6mff","GO-2023-1998"],"status":"published","title":"Nuclei Path Traversal vulnerability","description":"Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner. Prior to version 2.9.9, a security issue in the Nuclei project affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) running custom templates. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payload loading in sandbox mode. There was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. \n\nThis issue has been fixed in version 2.9.9. The maintainers have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required. The `-sandbox` option has been deprecated and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is enabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be enabled by users optionally. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.","severity":{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high","assessor":"cna","from":"cve"},"epss":{"day":"2026-11-09","score":0.01048,"percentile":0.64461,"model":"v2026.06.15"},"facts":{"in_kev":false,"known_exploited":false,"public_exploit":false,"fix_available":true},"cwes":["CWE-22"],"published":"2023-08-04T15:34:11Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:30:25Z","fixes":[{"ecosystem":"Go","package":"github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2","fixed_in":["2.9.9"],"sources":["ghsa","osv"]},{"ecosystem":"Go","package":"github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei","fixed_in":["2.9.9"],"sources":["ghsa","osv"]}],"affected":[{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"Go","package":"github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2.9.9"}]}]},{"source":"ghsa","ecosystem":"Go","package":"github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei","ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2.9.9"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Go","package":"github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2","ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2.9.9"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Go","package":"github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei","ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2.9.9"}]}]},{"source":"osv","ecosystem":"Go","package":"github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2","ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2.9.9"}]}]}],"products":[{"vendor":"projectdiscovery","product":"nuclei"}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/security/advisories/GHSA-2xx4-jj5v-6mff","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM","x_transferred","Vendor Advisory","advisory","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/pull/3927","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","x_transferred","Issue Tracking","fix","web"]},{"url":"https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/releases/tag/v2.9.9","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","x_transferred","Release Notes","web"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-37896","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2xx4-jj5v-6mff"},{"url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2023/37xxx/CVE-2023-37896.json","tags":["advisory"]},{"url":"https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei","tags":["package"]}],"sources":{"cve":[{"id":"CVE-2023-37896","title":"Nuclei Path Traversal vulnerability","description":"Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner. Prior to version 2.9.9, a security issue in the Nuclei project affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) running custom templates. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payload loading in sandbox mode. There was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. \n\nThis issue has been fixed in version 2.9.9. The maintainers have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required. The `-sandbox` option has been deprecated and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is enabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be enabled by users optionally. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.","status":"published","published":"2023-08-04T15:34:11.804Z","modified":"2024-10-08T18:13:54.292Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high","assessor":"cna"}],"cwes":["CWE-22"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:35:16.771348Z"}],"euvd":[{"id":"EUVD-2023-2189","description":"Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner. Prior to version 2.9.9, a security issue in the Nuclei project affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) running custom templates. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payload loading in sandbox mode. There was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. \n\nThis issue has been fixed in version 2.9.9. The maintainers have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required. The `-sandbox` option has been deprecated and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is enabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be enabled by users optionally. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.","status":"published","published":"2023-08-04T15:34:11Z","modified":"2024-10-08T18:13:54Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high"}],"updated_at":"2026-11-03T00:27:44.844048Z"}],"ghsa":[{"id":"GHSA-2xx4-jj5v-6mff","title":"Nuclei Path Traversal vulnerability","description":"## Overview\n\nWe have identified and addressed a security issue in the Nuclei project that affected users utilizing Nuclei as **Go code (SDK)** running **custom templates**. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payloads loading in `sandbox` mode.\n\n## Details\n\nIn the previous versions, there was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. \n\nThis issue has been fixed in the latest release, v2.9.9. We have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required.\n\nThe `-sandbox` option has been **deprecated** and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is disabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be optionally disabled by user. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.\n\n## Affected Versions\n\nThis issue affected all versions of Nuclei prior to v2.9.9.\n\n## Patches\n\nWe recommend all users upgrade to the latest version, [v2.9.9](https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/releases/tag/v2.9.9), which includes the security fix.\n\n### References\n\n- [patch](https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/pull/3927)\n- [releases](https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/releases/tag/v2.9.9)\n\n## Acknowledgments\n\nWe would like to thank **keomutchoiboi** who reported this issue to us via our security email, [security@projectdiscovery.io](mailto:security@projectdiscovery.io). We appreciate the responsible disclosure of this issue.","status":"published","published":"2023-08-04T17:27:00Z","modified":"2023-11-07T05:01:24Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-22"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:37:15.055009Z"}],"nvd":[{"id":"CVE-2023-37896","description":"Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner. Prior to version 2.9.9, a security issue in the Nuclei project affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) running custom templates. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payload loading in sandbox mode. There was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. \n\nThis issue has been fixed in version 2.9.9. The maintainers have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required. The `-sandbox` option has been deprecated and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is enabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be enabled by users optionally. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.","status":"published","published":"2023-08-04T16:15:09.847Z","modified":"2026-06-17T06:08:51.2Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high","assessor":"secondary"},{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high","assessor":"primary"}],"cwes":["CWE-22"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T14:08:20.798312Z"}],"osv":[{"id":"CVE-2023-37896","title":"Nuclei Path Traversal vulnerability","description":"Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner. Prior to version 2.9.9, a security issue in the Nuclei project affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) running custom templates. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payload loading in sandbox mode. There was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. \n\nThis issue has been fixed in version 2.9.9. The maintainers have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required. The `-sandbox` option has been deprecated and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is enabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be enabled by users optionally. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.","status":"published","published":"2023-08-04T15:34:11.804Z","modified":"2026-10-28T02:30:25.092887092Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-22"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:44:32.922049Z"},{"id":"GHSA-2xx4-jj5v-6mff","title":"Nuclei Path Traversal vulnerability","description":"## Overview\n\nWe have identified and addressed a security issue in the Nuclei project that affected users utilizing Nuclei as **Go code (SDK)** running **custom templates**. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payloads loading in `sandbox` mode.\n\n## Details\n\nIn the previous versions, there was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. \n\nThis issue has been fixed in the latest release, v2.9.9. We have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required.\n\nThe `-sandbox` option has been **deprecated** and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is disabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be optionally disabled by user. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.\n\n## Affected Versions\n\nThis issue affected all versions of Nuclei prior to v2.9.9.\n\n## Patches\n\nWe recommend all users upgrade to the latest version, [v2.9.9](https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/releases/tag/v2.9.9), which includes the security fix.\n\n### References\n\n- [patch](https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/pull/3927)\n- [releases](https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/releases/tag/v2.9.9)\n\n## Acknowledgments\n\nWe would like to thank **keomutchoiboi** who reported this issue to us via our security email, [security@projectdiscovery.io](mailto:security@projectdiscovery.io). We appreciate the responsible disclosure of this issue.","status":"published","published":"2023-08-04T17:27:00Z","modified":"2026-09-10T03:50:08.588771152Z","cvss":[{"version":"3.1","score":7.5,"vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","level":"high"}],"cwes":["CWE-22"],"updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:46:35.050232Z"},{"id":"GO-2023-1998","title":"Improper path sanitization in sandbox mode in github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2","description":"Improper path sanitization in sandbox mode in github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v2","status":"published","published":"2023-08-23T14:38:50Z","modified":"2024-05-20T16:03:47Z","updated_at":"2026-11-02T15:47:01.185262Z"}]}}