CVE-2026-48716 nanobot: Path traversal via unsanitized WhatsApp document fileName enables arbitrary file write
Attackers can write arbitrary files via crafted WhatsApp document filenames, potentially achieving code execution or privilege escalation in nanobot.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-48716?
CVE-2026-48716 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in HKUDS nanobot, published on 18 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
nanobot is a personal AI assistant. In versions 0.1.5.post3 and prior, the WhatsApp bridge in bridge/src/whatsapp.ts constructs a filesystem path using the fileName field from an incoming WhatsApp document message without sanitization. The WhatsApp bridge downloads media attachments and writes them to disk using a filename derived from the sender's message via documentMessage.fileName, which is concatenated with a prefix and its raw value is passed directly to path.join(mediaDir, outFilename). Node.js path.join resolves .. components, allowing an attacker to escape the intended media/ directory by sending a document with a crafted fileName such as ../../../.ssh/authorized_keys. Because the attacker also controls the file content (the downloaded buffer), this is a write-anywhere primitive — both path and content are attacker-controlled. A fix for this issue is planned for version 0.1.5.post4.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-48716?
How do I fix CVE-2026-48716?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-48716 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-48716 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-48716 exists.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-3f63-vcp3-hvqr.