Alex quickly decoded the subject line, and to their surprise, it revealed a possible path to a sensitive system file: "/etc/passwd". The "/etc/passwd" file was a critical system file that stored user account information, including passwords.
The attacker used -2F instead of %2F (standard URL encoding) or / directly. This could be: -page-....-2F-2F....-2F-2F....-2F-2Fetc-2Fpasswd
: These attacks often target known vulnerabilities in outdated plugins or frameworks. Alex quickly decoded the subject line, and to
. Attackers use these "dot-dot-slash" sequences to "traverse" or move up out of the intended web folder and into the server’s root directories. etc-2Fpasswd : This is the URL-encoded path for /etc/passwd This could be: : These attacks often target
In the world of cybersecurity, "directory traversal" (or path traversal) is a common vulnerability that allows an attacker to read files on a server that they shouldn't have access to. If you’ve ever seen a URL or a parameter that looks like ....-2F-2Fetc-2Fpasswd , you are looking at an attempt to exploit this flaw. 1. Decoding the Payload