# CVE-2026-7205: duartium papers-mcp-server main.py search_papers path traversal

> Remote attackers can exploit a path traversal vulnerability in the search_papers function to read arbitrary files from the server.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.9 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 28 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-74x9-rc28-6p76

## What is CVE-2026-7205?

CVE-2026-7205 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in duartium papers-mcp-server, published on 28 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability was identified in duartium papers-mcp-server 9ceb3812a6458ba7922ca24a7406f8807bc55598. Impacted is the function search_papers of the file src/main.py. Such manipulation of the argument topic leads to path traversal. The attack may be launched remotely. The exploit is publicly available and might be used. The project was informed of the problem early through an issue report but has not responded yet.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-7205?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-7205?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-7205 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-7205 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-7205 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-7205 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-7205 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in duartium papers-mcp-server, published on 28 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-7205 exists.

Affected product: duartium papers-mcp-server. 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-2026-7205/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-7205/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-7205
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-7205
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-7205

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-7205/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.