CVE-2025-8815: Morning-pro Morning Path Traversal Flaw

CVE-2025-8815 Overview

A critical path traversal vulnerability has been identified in the Morning-pro Morning application, specifically within the Shiro Configuration component. The vulnerability affects the /index file handling functionality and allows attackers to manipulate file paths to access unauthorized directories and files on the target system. This flaw enables remote exploitation without requiring authentication, posing a significant risk to affected deployments.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this path traversal vulnerability to access sensitive files outside the intended directory structure, potentially exposing configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data stored on the server.

Affected Products

• Morning-pro Morning (all versions up to commit bc782730c74ff080494f145cc363a0b4f43f7d3e)
• Morning application with Shiro Configuration component
• Systems exposing the /index endpoint to network access

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-08-10 - CVE-2025-8815 published to NVD
• 2025-09-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-8815

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the Shiro Configuration component of the Morning application. The /index endpoint fails to properly sanitize user-supplied path parameters, allowing attackers to inject directory traversal sequences (such as ../) to escape the intended directory boundary. Since the attack can be launched remotely without authentication, any internet-exposed instance of the Morning application is at risk.

The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the likelihood that threat actors may attempt to leverage this vulnerability against unpatched systems. The rolling release model employed by this product means there are no discrete version numbers to reference for affected or patched releases—users must ensure they are running code beyond commit bc782730c74ff080494f145cc363a0b4f43f7d3e.

Root Cause

The root cause is classified as CWE-22 (Path Traversal), indicating improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory. The application fails to canonicalize or validate file path inputs before processing them, allowing malicious actors to traverse outside the web root or designated directories.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and can be executed remotely by sending crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable /index endpoint. The attacker manipulates the path parameter to include traversal sequences, enabling access to files and directories outside the application's intended scope.

The vulnerability in the Shiro Configuration component allows path manipulation through specially crafted requests. An attacker can inject sequences like ../ into file path parameters to navigate the server's file system. When the application processes these malicious paths without proper sanitization, it may return contents of sensitive files such as /etc/passwd, configuration files, or application secrets.

For detailed technical information, see the Gitee Issue Report and VulDB #319344.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-8815

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /index endpoint containing directory traversal patterns such as ../, ..%2f, or ..%252f
• Access logs showing attempts to retrieve files outside the web application directory (e.g., /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, configuration files)
• Unusual file access patterns in application or system logs
• Requests with encoded traversal sequences attempting to bypass input filters

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block path traversal sequences in URL parameters and request paths
• Monitor application access logs for requests containing .. patterns or encoded variants targeting the /index endpoint
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common path traversal attack patterns
• Use SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect anomalous file access patterns originating from web application processes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the Morning application to capture all requests to sensitive endpoints
• Set up alerts for any access attempts to system files (e.g., /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, web.xml) from web application contexts
• Monitor for unusual outbound data transfers that may indicate successful data exfiltration
• Review Shiro security configuration logs for authentication bypass attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-8815

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Morning application to a commit newer than bc782730c74ff080494f145cc363a0b4f43f7d3e
• Restrict network access to the /index endpoint using firewall rules or reverse proxy configurations
• Implement input validation to reject requests containing path traversal sequences
• Review and audit any files that may have been accessed via this vulnerability

Patch Information

This product uses a rolling release model, meaning no specific version numbers are assigned to releases. Users should pull the latest code from the Morning repository and verify they are running a commit beyond bc782730c74ff080494f145cc363a0b4f43f7d3e. Check the project's commit history for security-related fixes addressing path traversal issues in the Shiro Configuration component.

Workarounds

• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF in front of the application to filter and block requests containing directory traversal patterns
• Implement strict input validation at the application layer to canonicalize paths and reject any containing .. sequences
• Restrict file system permissions for the web application user to limit the impact of successful traversal attacks
• Consider network segmentation to limit the exposure of the vulnerable endpoint to trusted networks only

# Example WAF rule to block path traversal attempts (ModSecurity)
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains ../" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:1,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    msg:'Path Traversal Attempt Detected',\
    logdata:'Matched pattern in REQUEST_URI'"