# CVE-2026-53766: chrome-devtools-mcp: validatePath() does not canonicalize symlinks before enforcing roots

> Attackers can bypass workspace restrictions to read or write files outside the allowed directory via symlink manipulation in Chrome DevTools MCP.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 25 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8qf9-62x2-82pp

## What is CVE-2026-53766?

CVE-2026-53766 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in ChromeDevTools chrome-devtools-mcp, published on 24 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Chrome DevTools for agents (chrome-devtools-mcp) lets your coding agent control and inspect a live Chrome browser. From 0.24.0 until 1.1.0, McpContext.validatePath() enforces workspace roots by checking whether path.resolve(filePath) textually falls under one of the configured root paths. path.resolve() does not canonicalize symbolic links. As a result, a symlink inside a configured workspace root can point to a file outside that root, pass validation, and then be followed by downstream file read/write operations. This bypass applies even when the MCP client correctly declares the roots capability with a non-empty list. It is separate from the documented legacy behavior where missing roots capability allows all paths. The practical impact is a workspace-boundary bypass. In the write direction, filePath-writing tools can overwrite out-of-root files through an in-root symlink. In the read direction, upload_file can read through the symlink and send the file to the currently selected web page. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.1.0.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access), CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53766?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including chrome-devtools-mcp. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `chrome-devtools-mcp` | npm | From 0.24.0 | 1.1.0 |
| `chrome-devtools-mcp` | npm | From 0.24.0 | 1.1.0 |

Products: Google Chrome-Devtools-Mcp.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53766?

Upgrade chrome-devtools-mcp to 1.1.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-53766 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-53766 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in ChromeDevTools chrome-devtools-mcp

- [CVE-2026-53765](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53765/): chrome-devtools-mcp: daemon.pid write follows symlinks in /tmp fallback runtime directory (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-53766 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53766 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in ChromeDevTools chrome-devtools-mcp, published on 24 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-53766 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- chrome-devtools-mcp (npm): affected from 0.24.0; fixed in 1.1.0
- chrome-devtools-mcp (npm): affected from 0.24.0; fixed in 1.1.0

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-2026-53766/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53766/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53766
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53766
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53766

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53766/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.