# CVE-2026-26065: calibre: Path Traversal can Lead to Arbitrary File Write and Potential Code Execution

> Path traversal in calibre's PDB readers allows arbitrary file writes, potentially leading to code execution or denial of service.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 Feb 2026
- **Updated:** 20 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-26065, GHSA-vmfh-7mr7-pp2w, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-26065

## What is CVE-2026-26065?

CVE-2026-26065 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in kovidgoyal calibre, published on 20 Feb 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

calibre is a cross-platform e-book manager for viewing, converting, editing, and cataloging e-books. Versions 9.2.1 and below are vulnerable to Path Traversal through PDB readers (both 132-byte and 202-byte header variants) that allow arbitrary file writes with arbitrary extension and arbitrary content anywhere the user has write permissions. Files are written in 'wb' mode, silently overwriting existing files. This can lead to potential code execution and Denial of Service through file corruption. This issue has been fixed in version 9.3.0.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-26065?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Calibre-Ebook Calibre.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-26065?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-26065 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-26065 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in kovidgoyal calibre

- [CVE-2011-4124](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4124/): Command injection in Calibre (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2011-4125](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4125/): Privilege escalation in Calibre (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-26064](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-26064/): calibre: Path Traversal Vulnerability Enables Arbitrary File Write and Remote Code Execution (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2026-25635](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25635/): calibre has a Path Traversal Leading to Arbitrary File Write and Potential Code Execution (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2026-33206](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-33206/): calibre has a path traversal vulnerability (high 8.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-26065 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-26065 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in kovidgoyal calibre, published on 20 Feb 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-26065 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: kovidgoyal calibre. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2026-26065/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-26065/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-26065
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-26065
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-26065

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-26065/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.