CVE-2025-55988: DreamFactory Core Path Traversal Flaw

CVE-2025-55988 Overview

A directory traversal vulnerability exists in the /Controllers/RestController.php component of DreamFactory Core v1.0.3. The vulnerability allows attackers to execute a directory traversal attack via an unsanitized URI path. This path traversal flaw enables unauthorized access to files and directories outside of the intended web root by manipulating path segments containing sequences such as .. in HTTP requests.

Critical Impact

Attackers with privileged network access can exploit this vulnerability to read sensitive files, potentially access configuration data, and achieve high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

Affected Products

• DreamFactory Core v1.0.3

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-20 - CVE CVE-2025-55988 published to NVD
• 2026-03-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-55988

Vulnerability Analysis

This directory traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) stems from insufficient input validation in the RestController.php component. When processing URI paths, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input, allowing attackers to include directory traversal sequences (such as ..) in the resource path parameter. This enables navigation outside the intended directory structure.

The vulnerability requires network access and high privileges to exploit, but once exploited, it can lead to complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected system. The attack complexity is low, meaning that once an attacker has the required privileges, exploitation is straightforward without requiring user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation in the RestController.php file. The controller processes the $resource variable from the request URI without first sanitizing it to remove directory traversal sequences. This allows malicious path components to be passed through to file system operations, enabling access to arbitrary files on the system.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted over the network by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to the REST API endpoint. An attacker with high-level privileges can include .. sequences in the URI path to traverse directories and access files outside the intended scope. The attack does not require user interaction and can be executed directly against the vulnerable endpoint at /Controllers/RestController.php.

// Security patch in src/Http/Controllers/RestController.php
// Source: GitHub Commit - Remove double dots from the resource to prevent directory traversal

 
             // fix removal of trailing slashes from resource
             if (!empty($resource)) {
+                $resource = str_replace(['..'], '', $resource);
                 $uri = \Request::getRequestUri();
                 if ((false === strpos($uri, '?') && '/' === substr($uri, strlen($uri) - 1, 1)) ||
                     ('/' === substr($uri, strpos($uri, '?') - 1, 1))

Source: GitHub Commit Note

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-55988

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to REST API endpoints containing .. or URL-encoded variants (%2e%2e) in the URI path
• Access log entries showing requests attempting to reach files outside the web root such as /etc/passwd or configuration files
• Unusual file access patterns originating from the web server process
• Error logs indicating failed attempts to access restricted directories

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block requests containing directory traversal patterns
• Monitor web server access logs for URI paths containing .., %2e%2e, or other encoded traversal sequences
• Deploy intrusion detection system (IDS) signatures targeting path traversal attack patterns against REST endpoints
• Review application logs for abnormal resource path requests to the RestController component

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed request logging for the DreamFactory Core application, particularly for the REST API endpoints
• Set up alerts for any HTTP requests containing path traversal sequences targeting the application
• Monitor file system access logs for the web server user attempting to access files outside the application directory
• Implement real-time log analysis to detect potential exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-55988

Immediate Actions Required

• Update DreamFactory Core to a patched version that includes the security fix in commit 54354605b2ec9afe6ee96756a5a22f6f56828950
• Review web server access logs for any signs of previous exploitation attempts
• Implement WAF rules to block requests containing directory traversal patterns until patching is complete
• Restrict network access to the REST API endpoints to trusted sources only

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been addressed in a security patch available via the DreamFactory Core GitHub repository. The fix removes double-dot sequences from the resource variable before processing, preventing directory traversal attacks. Apply the patch by updating to the version containing commit 54354605b2ec9afe6ee96756a5a22f6f56828950. For detailed information, refer to the GitHub Commit Note.

Workarounds

• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF in front of the application configured to reject requests containing .. in the URI path
• Implement server-level URL rewrite rules to sanitize or block requests with directory traversal patterns
• Restrict access to the REST API endpoints using network-level controls or authentication mechanisms until the patch can be applied

# Example Apache mod_rewrite rule to block directory traversal attempts
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} \.\./ [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} \.\.%2f [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} %2e%2e/ [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} %2e%2e%2f [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]