# CVE-2026-73040: Path traversal in dockge

> Authenticated users can exploit path traversal in Dockge to read sensitive environment files and delete arbitrary directories on the host system.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r5ph-2fqc-qvf3

## What is CVE-2026-73040?

CVE-2026-73040 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in louislam dockge, published on 20 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Dockge validates a stack name only on the write path. In backend/stack.ts the allow-list check in validate(), which requires the name to match ^[a-z0-9_-]+$, is reached from save() alone, while the path getter returns path.join(this.server.stacksDir, this.name) and Stack.getStack builds path.join(server.stacksDir, stackName) with no check. The socket handlers in backend/agent-socket-handlers/docker-socket-handler.ts confirm the caller is logged in and that the name is a string, then pass it straight to Stack.getStack, so a name containing traversal sequences resolves outside the managed stacks directory. An authenticated user can therefore read the composeENV and composeYAML values of any directory the server process can reach, which discloses the secrets in that directory's .env or Compose file, and can invoke delete(), which runs docker compose down and then fsAsync.rm on the traversed path with recursive and force set, removing that directory. Disclosure is limited to files named .env or an accepted Compose filename, and deletion requires the target directory to hold a valid Compose file so that docker compose down exits successfully. Dockge commonly runs as root with access to the Docker socket, so the reachable set includes unrelated applications on the host. Instances configured with disableAuth, a supported option that logs the caller in as admin automatically, expose both operations without authentication.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-73040?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-73040?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-73040 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-73040 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-73040 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-73040 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-73040 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in louislam dockge, published on 20 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-73040 exists.

Affected product: louislam dockge. 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-2026-73040/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-73040/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-73040
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-73040
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-73040

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-73040/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.