# CVE-2026-42866: Tookie: Arbitrary file write via path traversal in -u username / -U userfile output filename

> Attackers can write arbitrary files to the filesystem by supplying malicious usernames with path traversal sequences to the Tookie OSINT tool.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA: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:** 11 May 2026
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rp68-wfv6-3cq3

## What is CVE-2026-42866?

CVE-2026-42866 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Alfredredbird tookie-osint, published on 11 May 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

Tookie is a advanced OSINT information gathering tool. Prior to 4.1fix, modules/modules.py's write_txt, write_csv, write_json, and (commented-but-shipping) scan_file helpers open their output as open(f"{user}.<ext>"), where user comes unsanitized from the -u CLI flag or any line of a -U usernames file. A username that contains path-separator sequences (.., /, \, or an absolute path) causes tookie-osint to write the scan output to an arbitrary path the invoking user has write permission for. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.1fix.

Weakness: CWE-73 (External Control of File Name or Path), CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-42866?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-42866?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-42866 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-42866 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-42866 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-42866 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-42866 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Alfredredbird tookie-osint, published on 11 May 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-2026-42866 exists.

Affected product: Alfredredbird tookie-osint. 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-2026-42866/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-42866/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42866
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42866
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-42866

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-42866/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.