# CVE-2026-27967: Symlink Escape in Agent File Tools

> Attackers can read or write files outside the project directory via symlinks, bypassing privacy protections and potentially leaking sensitive data to the LLM.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **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:** No
- **Published:** 25 Feb 2026
- **Updated:** 28 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-786m-x2vc-5235

## What is CVE-2026-27967?

CVE-2026-27967 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in zed-industries zed, published on 25 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

Zed, a code editor, has a symlink escape vulnerability in versions prior to 0.225.9 in Agent file tools (`read_file`, `edit_file`). It allows reading and writing files **outside the project directory** when a project contains symbolic links pointing to external paths. This bypasses the intended workspace boundary and privacy protections (`file_scan_exclusions`, `private_files`), potentially leaking sensitive user data to the LLM. Version 0.225.9 fixes the issue.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-27967?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Zed Zed.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-27967?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-27967 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-27967 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-27967 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in zed-industries zed

- [CVE-2026-27976](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-27976/): Zed Extension Sandbox Escape via Tar Symlink Following (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-44461](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44461/): Zed: Remote Command Injection via Unquoted Environment Variable Keys (SSH / WSL Remote) (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2026-44463](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44463/): Zed: Allowlist Bypass via Environment Variable Injection in Terminal Tool Permissions (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2026-44465](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44465/): Zed: Zed IDE Arbitrary Code Execution via untrusted repository with poisoned .git/config (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2026-44466](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44466/): Zed: Allowlist Bypass via Bash Arithmetic Expansion in Terminal Tool Permissions (high 8.6)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-27967 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-27967 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in zed-industries zed, published on 25 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: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-27967 exists.

Affected product: zed-industries zed. 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-2026-27967/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-27967/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-27967
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-27967
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-27967

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-27967/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.