-page-....-2f-2f....-2f-2f....-2f-2fetc-2fpasswd [hot] -

john:x:1001:1001:John Doe:/home/john:/bin/bash

: Attackers often look for sensitive files to access or to check if a system is vulnerable. The /etc/passwd file, being readable by all users, can provide valuable information about the system's users and their account statuses. -page-....-2F-2F....-2F-2F....-2F-2Fetc-2Fpasswd

Successful exploitation exposes sensitive system files (e.g., /etc/passwd , /etc/shadow , application config files). Combined with other flaws, it can lead to remote code execution. Combined with other flaws, it can lead to

In Unix and Linux operating systems, the /etc/passwd file plays a critical role in user management. It is a text file that contains a list of all registered users on the system. Understanding the structure and content of this file is essential for system administrators to manage user accounts effectively and ensure system security. Understanding the structure and content of this file

. It occurs when a web application takes user-supplied input and passes it directly to a file-handling function (like PHP's ) without proper sanitization. The Expectation : The server expects a request like ?page=contact.php and looks for it in /var/www/html/pages/ The Reality : The attacker sends ?page=../../../../etc/passwd The Result