CVE-2024-43399 is a high-severity (CVSS 8) CWE-23 vulnerability in mobsf. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for mobsf — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Mobile Security Framework (MobSF) has a Zip Slip Vulnerability in .a Static Library Files
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-43399.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
mobsfReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
Upon reviewing the MobSF source code, I identified a flaw in the Static Libraries analysis section. Specifically, during the extraction of .a extension files, the measure intended to prevent Zip Slip attacks is improperly implemented.
Since the implemented measure can be bypassed, the vulnerability allows an attacker to extract files to any desired location within the server running MobSF.
Details
Upon examining lines 183-192 of the mobsf/StaticAnalyzer/views/common/shared_func.py file, it is observed that there is a mitigation against Zip Slip attacks implemented as a.decode('utf-8', 'ignore').replace('../', '').replace('..\\', ''). However, this measure can be bypassed using sequences like ....//....//....//. Since the replace operation is not recursive, this sequence is transformed into ../../../ after the replace operation, allowing files to be written to upper directories.
For the proof of concept, I created an .a archive file that renders MobSF unusable by writing an empty file with the same name over the database located at /home/mobsf/.MobSF/db.sqlite3.
I am including the binary used for the POC named poc.VULN. To test it, you need to rename this binary to poc.a.
Warning: As soon as you scan this file with MobSF, the database will be deleted, rendering MobSF unusable.
PoC Binary File (poc.VULN)
PoC
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3225ccb0-cb00-47a5-8305-37a40ca1ae7f
Impact
When a malicious .a file is scanned with MobSF, a critical vulnerability is present as it allows files to be extracted to any location on the server where MobSF is running. In this POC, I deleted the database, but it is also possible to achieve RCE by overwriting binaries of certain tools or by overwriting the /etc/passwd file.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | mobsf | all versions | 4.0.7pip install --upgrade 'mobsf==4.0.7' |
Affected Products
mobile security frameworkopensecurityResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for mobsf, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update mobsf to 4.0.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-43399 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-43399 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.