CVE-2026-32725 SciTokens C++: Relative Path Traversal Vulnerability
Attackers can bypass authorization restrictions in SciTokens C++ by using path traversal in token scopes to access unauthorized directories.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-32725?
CVE-2026-32725 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in scitokens-cpp, published on 31 Mar 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
SciTokens C++ is a minimal library for creating and using SciTokens from C or C++. Prior to version 1.4.1, scitokens-cpp is vulnerable to an authorization bypass when processing path-based scopes in tokens. The library normalizes the scope path from the token before authorization and collapses ".." path components instead of rejecting them. As a result, an attacker can use parent-directory traversal in the scope claim to broaden the effective authorization beyond the intended directory. This issue has been patched in version 1.4.1.
Weakness: CWE-23
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-32725?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Scitokens Scitokens Cpp Library.
How do I fix CVE-2026-32725?
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-2026-32725 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-32725 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in scitokens-cpp
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-32725, GHSA-rqcx-mc9w-pjxp, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-32725.