CVE-2017-9538

The 'Upload logo from external path' function of SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor version 12.0.15300.90 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (permanent display of a "Cannot exit above the top directory" error message throughout the entire web application) via a ".." in the path field. In other words, the denial of service is caused by an incorrect implementation of a directory-traversal protection mechanism.

Published: 2017-10-03 Last update: 2026-05-13 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2017-9538 is rated Moderate Risk (45.1/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 2.43%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2017-9538

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 5.63% 2.43% -3.20%
2 2025-03-30 7.62% 5.63% -1.99%
3 2025-03-29 — 7.62% —

Full EPSS history (8 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-9538

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
4.9 3.0 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.2 3.6 [email protected]
4.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 8.0 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-9538

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-9538

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
solarwinds network_performance_monitor <= 12.0.15300.90 cpe:2.3:a:solarwinds:network_performance_monitor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-9538

cvelogic Threat Intelligence