OpenMRS Core arbitrary file read via path traversal in ModuleResourcesServlet
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-22 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
OpenMRS Core is an open source electronic medical record system platform. In versions 2.7.8 and earlier and versions 2.8.0 through 2.8.5, the `/openmrs/moduleResources/{moduleid}` endpoint is vulnerable to a path traversal attack. The ModuleResourcesServlet constructs a filesystem path from user-controlled input without performing path boundary validation — the getFile() method concatenates the user-supplied path into an absolute filesystem path without calling normalize() or checking that the result stays within the allowed module resources directory. Because this endpoint serves static resources required for rendering the login page, it is not protected by authentication filters, allowing unauthenticated exploitation. An attacker can traverse directories and read arbitrary files from the server filesystem, including /etc/passwd and application configuration files containing database credentials. Successful exploitation requires the target deployment to run on Apache Tomcat versions prior to 8.5.31, where the ..; path parameter bypass is not mitigated by the container. Deployments on Tomcat 8.5.31 or later and Tomcat 9.0.10 or later are protected at the container level, though the underlying code defect remains. This issue has been fixed in versions after 2.7.8 (within the 2.7.x branch) and in version 2.8.6 and later.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenMRS | openmrs-core | up to 2.7.8; 2.8.0 – 2.8.5 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| — | org.openmrs.web:openmrs-web (Maven) | up to 2.7.8 | — | No fix listed | GHSA-jjgj-cx3q-pw4w |
| — | org.openmrs.web:openmrs-web (Maven) | 2.8.0 to before 2.8.6 | 2.8.6 | Patch available | GHSA-jjgj-cx3q-pw4w |
- openmrs-core VendorOpenMRS Affected up to 2.7.8; 2.8.0 – 2.8.5 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- org.openmrs.web:openmrs-web (Maven) Vendor— Affected up to 2.7.8 Fixed in — No fix listed GHSA-jjgj-cx3q-pw4w
- org.openmrs.web:openmrs-web (Maven) Vendor— Affected 2.8.0 to before 2.8.6 Fixed in 2.8.6 Patch available GHSA-jjgj-cx3q-pw4w
Remediation
- Fix · GHSA-jjgj-cx3q-pw4w org.openmrs.web:openmrs-web (Maven) Fixed in 2.8.6 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-40075
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-jjgj-cx3q-pw4w
- 2026-10-25 EPSS moved to the below the 50th percentile
References
More Openmrs vulnerabilities
- TI-2018-13666 OpenMRS before 2.24.0 is affected by an Insecure Object Deserialization vulnerability… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-28907 OpenMRS Core arbitrary file write and code execution via Zip Slip in module upload CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2022-07665 Directory Traversal in OpenMRS Startup Filter CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2025-19183 A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in the component /admin/users/user.form of Openmrs… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.0
- TI-2025-19182 A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in Openmrs 2.4.3 Build 0ff0ed allows attackers to… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.8
- TI-2025-19184 A reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the component… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.4
Sources
- CVE-2026-40075 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-40075 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-jjgj-cx3q-pw4w · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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