CVE-2026-40491 gdown Affected by Arbitrary File Write via Path Traversal in gdown.extractall
Attackers can achieve arbitrary file write and remote code execution by exploiting path traversal in gdown's archive extraction functionality.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-40491?
CVE-2026-40491 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in wkentaro gdown, published on 18 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
gdown is a Google Drive public file/folder downloader. Versions prior to 5.2.2 are vulnerable to a Path Traversal attack within the extractall functionality. When extracting a maliciously crafted ZIP or TAR archive, the library fails to sanitize or validate the filenames of the archive members. This allow files to be written outside the intended destination directory, potentially leading to arbitrary file overwrite and Remote Code Execution (RCE). Version 5.2.2 contains a fix.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-40491?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including gdown. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
gdown PyPI | All versions | 5.2.2 |
gdown PyPI | All versions | 5.2.2 |
gdown PyPI | All versions | 5.2.2 |
Products include Wkentaro Gdown.
How do I fix CVE-2026-40491?
Upgrade gdown to 5.2.2 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-40491 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-40491 exists.
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-40491, GHSA-76hw-p97h-883f, PYSEC-2026-2158, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-40491.