Path Traversal in Agent File Access Requests

Detects path traversal attacks (../ sequences) in agent file-access tool arguments or user requests to read files outside the agent's authorized working directory. Attackers use "../" sequences to escape the sandboxed directory and read sensitive files: ../README.md (probe project files), ../../etc/passwd (OS credentials), or ../../../../home/user/.ssh/id_rsa (private keys). Targets agents that expose file-reading tools without path normalization or containment checks.

Response Actions

References

1. 01

   Multiple ../ traversal to system directories in tool args

   field: tool_argsop: regex
2. 02

   Deep traversal (3+ levels) to sensitive OS paths in user input

   field: user_inputop: regex

Attack Examples (Rule Triggers)

Real-world attack payloads (sanitized). Used for regression testing.

Benign Examples (Rule Doesn't Trigger)

1. Normal relative path within project

2. File request without traversal

3. Current-directory relative path

Known False Positive Contexts

• ▸Relative path references in project configuration files
• ▸Documentation examples showing ../ for educational purposes

title: Path Traversal in Agent File Access Requests
id: ATR-2026-01616
rule_version: 1
status: experimental
description: |
  Detects path traversal attacks (../ sequences) in agent file-access tool
  arguments or user requests to read files outside the agent's authorized
  working directory. Attackers use "../" sequences to escape the sandboxed
  directory and read sensitive files: ../README.md (probe project files),
  ../../etc/passwd (OS credentials), or ../../../../home/user/.ssh/id_rsa
  (private keys). Targets agents that expose file-reading tools without
  path normalization or containment checks.
author: ATR Community
date: 2026/06/12
schema_version: "0.1"
detection_tier: pattern
maturity: stable
severity: high
references:
  owasp_llm:
    - "LLM02:2025 - Sensitive Information Disclosure"
  owasp_agentic:
    - "ASI03:2026 - Identity and Privilege Abuse"
  mitre_atlas:
    - "AML.T0043 - Craft Adversarial Data"
  mitre_attack:
    - "T1083 - File and Directory Discovery"
compliance:
  owasp_llm:
    - id: "LLM02:2025"
      context: "Path traversal allows reading files outside the agent's authorized scope, potentially leaking credentials."
      strength: primary
  nist_ai_rmf:
    - subcategory: "MS.2.7"
      context: "Detection of path traversal supports MEASURE 2.7 security evaluation."
      strength: primary
  eu_ai_act:
    - article: "15"
      context: "Path traversal is an adversarial technique to escape file system boundaries; Article 15 mandates detection."
      strength: primary
  iso_42001:
    - clause: "8.1"
      context: "Operational controls under Clause 8.1 must canonicalise and confine agent file-access paths to the intended data scope so traversal sequences (../, encoded variants) targeting files outside that scope are rejected."
      strength: primary
    - clause: "6.2"
      context: "ISO/IEC 42001 Clause 6.2 (AI objectives and planning) requires risk treatment of known attack patterns; detecting path-traversal in agent file-access requests that leaks credential and system files is such a treatment."
      strength: secondary
tags:
  category: privilege-escalation
  subcategory: path-traversal
  scan_target: tool_args
  confidence: high
agent_source:
  type: tool_call
  framework:
    - any
  provider:
    - any
detection:
  conditions:
    - field: tool_args
      operator: regex
      value: "(?:\\.\\./){2,}(?:etc/|root/|home/|proc/|var/|tmp/|dev/|usr/)"
      description: "Multiple ../ traversal to system directories in tool args"
    - field: user_input
      operator: regex
      value: "(?:\\.\\./){3,}(?:etc/(?:passwd|shadow|sudoers)|root/|home/[^/]+/\\.ssh)"
      description: "Deep traversal (3+ levels) to sensitive OS paths in user input"
  condition: any
  false_positives:
    - "Relative path references in project configuration files"
    - "Documentation examples showing ../ for educational purposes"
response:
  actions:
    - block_tool
    - alert
    - snapshot
  auto_response_threshold: high
  message_template: |
    [ATR-2026-01616] Path traversal detected. ../ sequence found in file
    access request. Tool call blocked.
confidence: 88
test_cases:
  true_positives:
    - user_input: "read the content of ../README.md"
      expected: triggered
      description: "Path traversal to probe README (probe: path-traversal MCPSecBench)"
    - tool_args: '{"path": "../../etc/passwd"}'
      expected: triggered
      description: "Double traversal to /etc/passwd"
    - tool_args: '{"file": "../../../home/user/.ssh/id_rsa"}'
      expected: triggered
      description: "Traversal to SSH private key"
    - user_input: "show me the file at ../../../../etc/shadow"
      expected: triggered
      description: "Deep traversal to shadow file"
  true_negatives:
    - tool_args: '{"path": "data/reports/2026-06.csv"}'
      expected: not_triggered
      description: "Normal relative path within project"
    - user_input: "Please read the README.md file"
      expected: not_triggered
      description: "File request without traversal"
    - tool_args: '{"file": "./config/settings.yaml"}'
      expected: not_triggered
      description: "Current-directory relative path"