# CVE-2026-64824: Home Assistant Core < 2026.7.0 Symlink Path Traversal RCE via backup-restore

> Attackers can achieve remote code execution by exploiting a symlink path traversal in the backup-restore function to overwrite critical Python files.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 28 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cwh8-w64c-4j5h

## What is CVE-2026-64824?

CVE-2026-64824 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in home-assistant Home Assistant Core, published on 21 Jul 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Home Assistant Core before 2026.7.0 contains a path traversal vulnerability in the backup-restore function that allows attackers to write files to arbitrary absolute filesystem paths by supplying a crafted tar archive with a SYMTYPE entry containing a benign member name paired with an absolute linkname pointing outside the extraction directory. Because the official Docker image runs the Home Assistant process as root and the subsequent regular-file entry is written through the unvalidated symlink, attackers can achieve remote code execution by overwriting auto-imported Python paths such as site-packages/sitecustomize.py or custom component directories.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64824?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-64824?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-64824 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-64824 exists.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2026-64824 — Home Assistant backup-restore symlink path traversal → root RCE. First working PoC, verified on real HA 2026.5.4 (sitecustomize.py overwrite). GHSA-cwh8-w64c-4j5h (github_poc): https://github.com/Boreas37/CVE-2026-64824-PoC

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-64824 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64824 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in home-assistant Home Assistant Core, published on 21 Jul 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, 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-2026-64824 exists.

Affected product: home-assistant Home Assistant Core. 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-2026-64824/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64824/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64824
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64824
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64824

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64824/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.