# CVE-2026-73642: Path Traversal in Dayforce ESS Excelity

> Unauthenticated attackers can read arbitrary local files via path traversal in the file download functionality of Dayforce ESS Excelity.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.2 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 13 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-p8m3-fq83-fgm7

## What is CVE-2026-73642?

CVE-2026-73642 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in Dayforce ESS Excelity, published on 28 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Dayforce ESS Excelity is vulnerable to Path Traversal  in file download functionality. An unauthenticated attacker can sent GET request with file path parameter set to any path including an absolute
local file path.

This issue was fixed in version V4.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-73642?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-73642?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-73642 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-73642 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-73642 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-73642 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-73642 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in Dayforce ESS Excelity, published on 28 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-73642 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Dayforce ESS Excelity. 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-2026-73642/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-73642/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-73642
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-73642
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-73642

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-73642/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.