CVE-2025-14520: Baowzh Hfly Path Traversal Vulnerability

CVE-2025-14520 Overview

A path traversal vulnerability has been identified in baowzh hfly, a PHP-based travel website content management system. The vulnerability exists in the /admin/index.php/datafile/delfile endpoint, where improper validation of the filename argument allows an authenticated attacker to traverse directories and delete arbitrary files on the target system. This weakness can be exploited remotely by manipulating the filename parameter to include path traversal sequences.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can leverage this path traversal vulnerability to delete arbitrary files on the server, potentially leading to denial of service, application malfunction, or removal of critical security configurations.

Affected Products

• baowzh hfly (all versions up to commit 638ff9abe9078bc977c132b37acbe1900b63491c)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-12-11 - CVE-2025-14520 published to NVD
• 2026-01-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-14520

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-22 (Path Traversal), a common weakness that occurs when software uses external input to construct a pathname intended to identify a file or directory located underneath a restricted parent directory, but fails to properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the path to resolve to a location outside of the restricted directory.

In the case of CVE-2025-14520, the vulnerable endpoint /admin/index.php/datafile/delfile accepts a filename parameter without adequate sanitization. The application fails to validate that the supplied filename stays within the intended directory boundaries, allowing attackers to use directory traversal sequences (such as ../) to escape the designated file storage directory.

The vulnerability requires low-privilege authentication to exploit, but once authenticated, the attack can be executed with low complexity over the network. The vendor was contacted regarding this disclosure but did not respond, and the product uses a rolling release strategy for continuous delivery.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and sanitization of the filename parameter in the file deletion functionality. The application does not properly validate or canonicalize file paths before performing file system operations, allowing relative path traversal sequences to reach files outside the intended directory scope.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires authentication to the administrative panel. An attacker with valid credentials to the admin interface can craft a malicious request to the /admin/index.php/datafile/delfile endpoint, supplying a manipulated filename parameter containing path traversal sequences to target arbitrary files on the system. This could allow deletion of configuration files, application code, or other critical system files.

The exploitation method involves sending HTTP requests with specially crafted filename values containing sequences like ../../../etc/target_file to traverse out of the expected directory and target files elsewhere on the filesystem. Technical details and proof-of-concept documentation are available through the GitHub Exploit Documentation.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-14520

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /admin/index.php/datafile/delfile containing path traversal sequences such as ../, ..%2f, or encoded variants in the filename parameter
• Unexpected file deletions or missing system/application files
• Web server access logs showing repeated requests to the delfile endpoint with varying filename parameters
• Application errors or crashes due to missing configuration or critical files

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block path traversal patterns in request parameters
• Configure file integrity monitoring (FIM) to alert on unexpected file deletions, particularly in sensitive directories
• Review web server access logs for suspicious patterns targeting the /admin/index.php/datafile/delfile endpoint
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for anomalous file system operations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for administrative actions within the hfly application
• Monitor for authentication attempts and track authenticated sessions accessing file management endpoints
• Set up alerts for file deletion events on critical system and application files
• Regularly audit application logs for requests containing encoded characters or unusual parameter values

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-14520

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /admin/index.php/datafile/delfile endpoint through network segmentation or firewall rules
• Implement strong authentication and limit administrative access to trusted IP addresses
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block path traversal attempts
• Consider disabling or removing the file deletion functionality until a patch is available

Patch Information

No official patch is currently available from the vendor. The vendor (baowzh) was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond. Organizations using hfly should consider implementing workarounds and compensating controls until an official fix is released.

For additional technical details, refer to:

• VulDB Entry #335858
• VulDB CTI Information

Workarounds

• Implement server-side input validation to reject filenames containing path traversal sequences (../, ..\\, or URL-encoded variants)
• Use a whitelist approach for allowed filenames or restrict file operations to a specific directory with canonical path validation
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the web server process to limit the impact of arbitrary file deletion
• Consider running the application in a containerized environment to isolate file system access

# Example Apache configuration to block path traversal attempts
# Add to .htaccess or virtual host configuration
<Location "/admin/index.php/datafile/delfile">
    # Deny requests containing path traversal sequences
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\./) [NC,OR]
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\.\\) [NC,OR]
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (%2e%2e) [NC]
    RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</Location>