Algernon: handler.lua discovery walks parent directories above the server root
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
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| xyproto | algernon | affected |
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| Xyproto | Algernon |
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| Source | ID | Title |
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Github GHSA |
GHSA-xwcr-wm99-g9jc | Algernon: handler.lua discovery walks parent directories above the server root |
No CVSS v4.0
No CVSS v3.0
No CVSS v2
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
Exploit prediction score: < 1% (0.437% probability within 30 days)
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| First Time appeared |
Xyproto
Xyproto algernon |
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| Vendors & Products |
Xyproto
Xyproto algernon |
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| Metrics |
ssvc
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| Description | Algernon is a small self-contained pure-Go web server. Prior to 1.17.7, when Algernon is asked for any URL path that resolves to a directory without an index file, DirPage walks upward through parent directories — past the configured server root — looking for a file named handler.lua to execute as the request handler. The loop terminates only after 100 ancestor steps or when filepath.Dir returns ., so on any absolute server-root path the search reaches the filesystem root (/ on Unix, drive letter on Windows). The first handler.lua it finds is loaded into the Lua interpreter with the full Algernon API exposed — including run3(), httpclient, os.execute, io.popen, PQ, MSSQL, raw filesystem access, and the userstate database. Any process that can write handler.lua anywhere in a parent directory of the server root obtains pre-authenticated remote code execution on the next HTTP request. This is reachable without authentication — the lookup happens before the permission check returns a hit (the perm system only gates URL prefixes, not the handler-resolution step), and any URL pointing at a directory without an index triggers the walk. On a fresh stock Algernon install the request GET / is enough. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.17.7. | |
| Title | Algernon: handler.lua discovery walks parent directories above the server root | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-20 CWE-426 CWE-552 |
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| References |
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| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
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