Vulnerability field guide

Path Traversal

Path traversal lets an attacker climb out of an intended directory with dot-dot-slash sequences and read arbitrary files on the server. Here is how it works, the encodings that defeat naive filters, and the canonicalization fix that stops it.

3 articles14 min totalOverview to advanced techniques
Start here../../../etc/passwd
Step 01 · Start with the overview
Path Traversal3 min read

Path Traversal: How ../ Reads Files You Never Meant to Share

Path traversal lets an attacker climb out of an intended directory with dot-dot-slash sequences and read arbitrary files on the server. Here is how it works, the encodings that defeat naive filters, and the canonicalization fix that stops it.

Read the overview
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Path Traversal techniques

2 focused deep-dives
  1. 02Encoding BypassBypassing Path-Traversal Filters: Encoding, Double-Encoding and Null Bytes5 min
  2. 03LFI / RFILFI vs RFI: From File Disclosure to Remote Code Execution6 min