PortSwigger - Directory Traversal - Lab 2

Lab 2 - Directory Traversal - File path traversal, traversal sequences blocked with absolute path bypass

Lab Objective:

This lab contains a path traversal vulnerability in the display of product images. The application blocks traversal sequences but treats the supplied filename as being relative to a default working directory.

To solve the lab, retrieve the contents of the /etc/passwd file.

Reference:
Port Swigger - Lab 2
Rana Khalil - Lab 2

Solution

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1. Notice all the image requests when loading the lab.

2. Send one of these requests to Repeater and access the file by using the absolute path: /etc/passwd

Absolute vs. Relative Paths

• Relative Path: Specifies a file or directory location relative to the current working directory. It does not start from the root directory and often includes navigation symbols like . (current directory) or .. (parent directory).
  • Examples:
    • documents/file.txt (if the current directory is /home/user)
    • ../file.txt (refers to the parent directory’s file)
• Absolute Path: Always starts from the root and does not depend on the current working directory.
  • Examples:
    • /home/user/documents/file.txt
    • C:\Users\Username\Documents\file.txt

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