# CVE-2025-59532: Codex has sandbox bypass due to bug in path configuration logic

> A bug in Codex CLI allowed model-generated paths to bypass sandbox boundaries, enabling arbitrary file writes and command execution.

- **Severity:** High 8.6 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 23 Sep 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w5fx-fh39-j5rw

## What is CVE-2025-59532?

CVE-2025-59532 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in openai codex, published on 22 Sep 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Codex CLI is a coding agent from OpenAI that runs locally. In versions 0.2.0 to 0.38.0, due to a bug in the sandbox configuration logic, Codex CLI could treat a model-generated cwd as the sandbox’s writable root, including paths outside of the folder where the user started their session. This logic bypassed the intended workspace boundary and enables arbitrary file writes and command execution where the Codex process has permissions - this did not impact the network-disabled sandbox restriction. This issue has been patched in Codex CLI 0.39.0 that canonicalizes and validates that the boundary used for sandbox policy is based on where the user started the session, and not the one generated by the model. Users running 0.38.0 or earlier should update immediately via their package manager or by reinstalling the latest Codex CLI to ensure sandbox boundaries are enforced. If using the Codex IDE extension, users should immediately update to 0.4.12 for a fix of the sandbox issue.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-59532?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including @openai/codex.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `@openai/codex` | npm | From 0.2.0 | 0.39.0 |
| `@openai/codex` | npm | From 0.2.0 | 0.39.0 |

## How do I fix CVE-2025-59532?

Upgrade @openai/codex to 0.39.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2025-59532 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-59532 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- A Docker-based research environment for analyzing CVE-2025-59532, a path traversal vulnerability in OpenAI Codex CLI that allows arbitrary file write outside the intended workspace sandbox. Part of CMU Course : 18-739 Hacking & Offensive Security in Fall 2025 (github_poc): https://github.com/baktistr/cve-2025-59532-poc

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-59532 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-59532 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in openai codex, published on 22 Sep 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-59532 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- @openai/codex (npm): affected from 0.2.0; fixed in 0.39.0
- @openai/codex (npm): affected from 0.2.0; fixed in 0.39.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-59532/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-59532/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-59532
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-59532
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-59532

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-59532/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.