Kotlin Path Traversal Guide: Examples and Prevention

Path traversal is a critical vulnerability that exploits inadequate access control settings on servers, allowing attackers to access unauthorized files by manipulating directory paths. This article by Juan Reyes provides an insightful guide to understanding and mitigating path traversal attacks, particularly in the context of the Kotlin and Spring Boot development stack. The text illustrates how attackers can inject malicious input to traverse server filesystems and offers practical examples of attacks, such as relative path and poison null byte attacks. Mitigation strategies include implementing robust user input validation, using path normalization methods, and employing safelists to restrict access to specific directories. The article emphasizes the importance of these security measures and encourages developers to leverage community resources and tools like StackHawk for comprehensive security analysis. Through his professional and life experiences, Reyes aims to inspire a deeper understanding of both technical and personal development.