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Last updated: May 1, 2026
File upload features are everywhere — profile pictures, document uploads, attachments, imports. They’re also one of the most frequently-exploited vulnerability classes, capable of escalating from “user” to “RCE” in one click. This module covers the attack patterns and the layered defences.
File upload features are everywhere — profile pictures, document uploads, attachments, imports. They’re also one of the most frequently-exploited vulnerability classes, capable of escalating from “user” to “RCE” in one click. This module covers the attack patterns and the layered defences.
The attack surface
- Attacker uploads a file (malicious)
- Server saves file to disk
- Server (or another process) later interacts with the file — serves it to users, renders it, executes it, parses it
Each interaction is a potential exploit vector. The upload itself rarely causes the damage; it’s what happens afterwards.
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