# CVE-2026-90445: Path Traversal in Malcolm

> Authenticated attackers can exploit path traversal in file uploads to write arbitrary files, potentially modifying data or executing code.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/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:** 11 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 2 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-323p-5qr7-q36j

## What is CVE-2026-90445?

CVE-2026-90445 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in CISA Malcolm, published on 11 Sep 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An interface that accepts file uploads from authenticated users extracts the contents of uploaded archives without validating that extracted file paths remain within the intended destination directory. This allows an authenticated attacker to craft an archive whose entries traverse outside the destination directory, causing the extraction process to write files to arbitrary locations with the privileges of that process. This could allow an attacker to inject fabricated records into the system's stored data or tamper with application configuration.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90445?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-90445?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-90445 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-90445 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-90445 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-90445 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-90445 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in CISA Malcolm, published on 11 Sep 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-90445 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: CISA Malcolm. 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-2026-90445/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90445/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90445
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90445
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-90445

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90445/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.