# CVE-2026-45725: compliance-trestle Remote Fetching Mechanism has an Arbitrary File Write via Cache Path Traversal

> Attackers can write arbitrary files to the filesystem via path traversal in the remote fetching cache mechanism of the compliance-trestle library.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 13 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-g3vg-vx23-3858, PYSEC-2026-2424

## What is CVE-2026-45725?

CVE-2026-45725 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in oscal-compass compliance-trestle, published on 13 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

compliance-trestle is a tooling platform for managing compliance as code. Prior to versiions 3.12.2 and 4.0.3, the compliance-trestle library's remote fetching cache mechanism (HTTPSFetcher and SFTPFetcher) constructs the local cache file path from the URL path component without sanitizing path traversal sequences (`../`). When a remote OSCAL profile references a URL with traversal in its path, the HTTP response body is written to a location outside the intended cache directory, enabling arbitrary file write with attacker-controlled content to the filesystem. Versions 3.12.3 and 4.0.3 patch the issue.

Weakness: CWE-73 (External Control of File Name or Path)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-45725?

5 open source packages ship an affected version, including compliance-trestle.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `compliance-trestle` | PyPI | All versions | 3.12.2, 4.0.3 |
| `compliance-trestle` | PyPI | All versions | 3.12.2 |
| `compliance-trestle` | PyPI | All versions | 3.12.2 |
| `compliance-trestle` | PyPI | From 4.0.0 | 4.0.3 |
| `compliance-trestle` | PyPI | From 4.0.0 | 4.0.3 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-45725?

Upgrade compliance-trestle to a fixed version for your release line: 3.12.2 or 4.0.3.

## Is CVE-2026-45725 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45725 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-45725 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-45725 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in oscal-compass compliance-trestle, published on 13 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45725 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- compliance-trestle (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 3.12.2, 4.0.3
- compliance-trestle (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 3.12.2
- compliance-trestle (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 3.12.2
- compliance-trestle (PyPI): affected from 4.0.0; fixed in 4.0.3
- compliance-trestle (PyPI): affected from 4.0.0; fixed in 4.0.3

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-2026-45725/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45725/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45725
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45725
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45725

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45725/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.