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February 5, 2025
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How to Fix CVE-2025-1026: Prevent Local File Inclusion in Spatie Browsershot Package?
The spatie/browsershot package is a popular tool for converting HTML to images, PDFs, and other formats using headless Chrome or Puppeteer. Recently, a security vulnerability, CVE-2025-1026, was identified, which can lead to Local File Inclusion (LFI) attacks. This flaw allows attackers to potentially read sensitive files on the server. This article provides a comprehensive guide for security professionals on understanding, detecting, and remediating CVE-2025-1026 in their applications using the spatie/browsershot package. We'll cover the vulnerability's technical details, affected versions, and step-by-step instructions for mitigation and patching.
A Short Introduction to Spatie Browsershot
Spatie Browsershot is a PHP package that provides an easy-to-use interface for taking screenshots, generating PDFs, and converting HTML to various formats. It leverages headless Chrome or Puppeteer to render web pages and capture the output. Due to its simplicity and flexibility, Browsershot is widely used in web applications for tasks such as generating thumbnails, creating reports, and enabling print-to-PDF functionality. However, like any software library, it's crucial to keep it updated and be aware of potential security vulnerabilities.
Summary of CVE-2025-1026
CVE ID: CVE-2025-1026
Description: Improper Input Validation in the
setUrlmethod leads to Local File Inclusion.CVSS Score: 7.7 (High)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
The vulnerability stems from inadequate URL validation within the setUrl method of the spatie/browsershot package. This flaw allows an attacker to supply a malicious URL that can be interpreted as a local file path, leading to the inclusion of arbitrary files on the server. Notably, this vulnerability is a bypass of a previous fix for CVE-2024-21549, highlighting the importance of thorough security testing and validation. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw remotely.
Impact of CVE-2025-1026
The impact of CVE-2025-1026 can be significant, particularly in applications that handle sensitive data. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can perform Local File Inclusion (LFI) attacks, potentially reading configuration files, source code, database credentials, or other sensitive information stored on the server. The confidentiality impact is high because the attacker gains unauthorized access to critical data. Although the vulnerability primarily affects confidentiality, the information obtained could be used to launch further attacks, such as privilege escalation or data modification. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely, making it a significant threat to web applications using the vulnerable Browsershot versions. The risk is elevated by the ease of exploitation and the potential for significant data compromise. You can find more details about this vulnerability on the NVD website.
Products Affected by the Vulnerability
The following table outlines the affected versions of the spatie/browsershot package:
|
Product
|
Affected Versions
|
Fixed Version
|
|---|---|---|
|
spatie/browsershot
|
< 5.0.5
|
5.0.5
|
Versions of the spatie/browsershot package prior to 5.0.5 are vulnerable to CVE-2025-1026. Updating to version 5.0.5 or later is crucial to mitigate this vulnerability. It is also worth noting that the package relies on underlying browser installations like Chrome or Puppeteer, those applications should also be kept up to date for optimal security, though the CVE directly relates to the PHP package itself. You should know about vulnerability assessments.
How to Check Your Product is Vulnerable?
Identifying whether your application is vulnerable to CVE-2025-1026 involves checking the version of the spatie/browsershot package you are using and inspecting how URLs are being handled by the package. Here are several methods to check for vulnerability:
1. Check the spatie/browsershot Package Version:
If you are using Composer to manage your PHP dependencies, you can check the installed version of the package by running the following command in your project's root directory:
Alternatively, you can inspect your
composer.lockfile to find the exact version of the package that is installed.If the version is lower than 5.0.5, your application is vulnerable.
2. Inspect Code for setUrl Usage:
Review your application's code to identify all instances where the
setUrlmethod of theBrowsershotclass is being used.Analyze how the URLs passed to
setUrlare being constructed and validated.Look for cases where user-supplied input is directly or indirectly used to construct the URL without proper sanitization or validation.
3. Manual Testing:
You can manually test for the vulnerability by attempting to pass a malicious URL to the
setUrlmethod, such as a URL containingfile:///etc/passwdor similar attempts to access sensitive files.Observe the behavior of the application and check if it allows access to local files.
4. Dependency Scanning Tools:
Integrate dependency scanning tools into your CI/CD pipeline to automatically identify vulnerable dependencies, including the
spatie/browsershotpackage.These tools can help detect outdated or vulnerable packages and alert you to potential security risks. Don't forget to implement proper patch management.
How to Fix the Vulnerability?
The primary remediation strategy for CVE-2025-1026 is to update the spatie/browsershot package to version 5.0.5 or later. Here are the steps to fix the vulnerability:
1. Update the spatie/browsershot Package:
If you are using Composer, update the package by running the following command:
This command will update the
spatie/browsershotpackage to the latest version that satisfies your project's dependencies.Verify that the installed version is 5.0.5 or later by running
composer show spatie/browsershot.
2. Implement Strict Input Validation:
Even after updating the package, it's essential to implement strict input validation for URLs passed to the
setUrlmethod.Use a whitelist approach to only allow specific URL schemes (e.g.,
http,https) and domains.Sanitize and validate user-supplied input to prevent the injection of malicious characters or file paths.
Avoid directly using user-supplied input to construct URLs without proper validation. This helps prevent command injection.
3. Apply the Principle of Least Privilege:
Ensure that the user account running the Browsershot process has the minimum necessary privileges.
This can help limit the potential impact of file inclusion attacks by restricting access to sensitive files.
4. Monitor System Logs:
Monitor system logs for any suspicious file access attempts or unusual activity related to the Browsershot process.
Set up alerts to notify you of any potential security incidents.
5. Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF):
Consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to help detect and prevent Local File Inclusion attacks.
Configure the WAF to block requests containing malicious patterns or attempts to access sensitive files. A good understanding of security logging is essential.
By following these steps, you can effectively mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2025-1026 and protect your application from Local File Inclusion attacks.
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Arun KL
Arun KL is a cybersecurity professional with 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerability management, Penetration Testing, security operations, and incident response. He is adept at designing and implementing robust security solutions to safeguard systems and data. Arun holds multiple industry certifications including CCNA, CCNA Security, RHCE, CEH, and AWS Security.
