CVE-2026-19589 Packer vulnerable to arbitrary file write via crafted plugin archive during installation
Attackers can write arbitrary files and potentially execute code by tricking users into installing malicious Packer plugins.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-19589?
CVE-2026-19589 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in HashiCorp Packer, published on 17 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Packer up to 1.15.4 is vulnerable to an issue in the third-party plugin installer that may allow unintended file system modification and could lead to code execution. A user who installs a plugin from a malicious or compromised source may be affected. This vulnerability (CVE-2026-19589) is fixed in Packer 1.16.0.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-19589?
How do I fix CVE-2026-19589?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-19589 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-19589 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-96603, GHSA-3cf4-f9v4-j353.