# CVE-2026-71493: Infracost: Arbitrary file read via config-template readFile symlink traversal

> Attackers can read arbitrary files via symlink traversal in Infracost templates, potentially exposing secrets in CI/CD workflows.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 26 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mmg6-4qmv-6pc8, GO-2026-6439

## What is CVE-2026-71493?

CVE-2026-71493 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in infracost, published on 21 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Infracost provides cloud cost intelligence for engineers, AI coding agents, and CI/CD. Prior to 0.10.45, the readFile, pathExists, isDir, and matchPaths template functions in internal/config/template/parser.go use a lexical filepath.Rel check and a leaf-only os.Lstat check that do not resolve an intermediate directory symlink. A repository can contain a path such as evil/file where evil points outside the checkout, causing os.ReadFile and related operations to follow the symlink and read runner-accessible files. The resulting content is rendered into generated configuration and can be surfaced through the Infracost dashboard or pull request comment, with greater impact in workflows that provide repository secrets. This issue is fixed in version 0.10.45.

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-2026-71493?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/infracost/infracost.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/infracost/infracost` | Go | All versions | 0.10.45 |
| `github.com/infracost/infracost` | Go | All versions | 0.10.45 |
| `github.com/infracost/infracost` | Go | All versions | 0.10.45 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-71493?

Upgrade github.com/infracost/infracost to 0.10.45 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-71493 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-71493 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-71493 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-71493 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in infracost, published on 21 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-71493 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/infracost/infracost (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.10.45
- github.com/infracost/infracost (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.10.45
- github.com/infracost/infracost (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.10.45

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-2026-71493/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-71493/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-71493
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-71493
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-71493

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-71493/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.