CVE-2026-49836 psd-tools: arbitrary file write via smart-object filename
Attackers can exploit malicious PSD files to write arbitrary files or read sensitive data via path traversal in psd-tools.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-49836?
CVE-2026-49836 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in psd-tools, published on 10 Sep 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
psd-tools is a Python package for working with Adobe Photoshop PSD files. Prior to version 1.17.1, `SmartObject.save()` writes an embedded smart object to a path taken verbatim from the PSD file. Because that name is attacker-controlled and unsanitised, a tool that extracts embedded objects from an untrusted `.psd` can be made to write attacker-chosen bytes to an attacker-chosen path (absolute or `../`-traversing), outside its intended output directory. A secondary issue in `SmartObject.open()` for external-kind smart objects allows the attacker-controlled `fullPath` descriptor to be used as an arbitrary file read path, enabling exfiltration of the read content to the controlled write destination. Both issues are fixed in v1.17.1.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-49836?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including psd-tools.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
psd-tools PyPI | All versions | 1.17.1 |
psd-tools PyPI | All versions | 1.17.1 |
psd-tools PyPI | All versions | 1.17.1 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-49836?
Upgrade psd-tools to 1.17.1 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-49836 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-49836 exists.
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-49836, GHSA-2rmg-vrx8-9j2f, PYSEC-2026-2969, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-49836.