CVE-2026-91012 Apache Karaf: Path Traversal in Config Service Allows Manager-to-Admin Privilege Escalation

Critical 9.8 Published 29 Sep 2026 Updated 1 Oct 2026

A path traversal vulnerability in Apache Karaf allows manager-role users to write arbitrary files, enabling privilege escalation to admin and potential container takeover.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2026-91012?

CVE-2026-91012 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in Apache Karaf, published on 29 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

org.apache.karaf.config.core.impl.ConfigRepositoryImpl#update(pid, properties), which backs the "config" MBean and the config:* shell commands, derives the file it writes a configuration to from caller-supplied input without checking that the result stays inside ${karaf.etc}:

* if the submitted property map contains a felix.fileinstall.filename entry, that value is turned directly into a File (getCfgFileFromProperty), so it can point to any absolute path the Karaf process can write to; * otherwise the configuration PID is concatenated verbatim into the target file name (generateConfigFilename(): new File(karaf.etc, pid + ".cfg")), so a PID containing ".." segments resolves outside ${karaf.etc}. createFactoryConfiguration() has the same issue via the factory PID/alias.

Both code paths are reachable by any caller holding the "manager" role under Karaf's shipped command/JMX ACL (org.apache.karaf.command.acl.conf.cfg: "update = manager"). Such a user can therefore write attacker-controlled content to any file the Karaf process can write, including files the same ACL otherwise reserves to "admin" (etc/users.properties, etc/*.acl.*.cfg, etc/org.apache.karaf.management.cfg, and similar), allowing a manager-role user to grant themselves the admin role or otherwise take over the container.

ConfigMBeanImpl.install() and the config:install shell command already guarded the equivalent risk on their own code path with a finalname.contains("..") string check, but that check does not stop absolute paths or symlink-based escapes, and it was never applied to ConfigRepositoryImpl.update() / createFactoryConfiguration() at all.

Weakness: CWE-22

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-91012?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Apache Karaf.

How do I fix CVE-2026-91012?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-91012 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2026-91012 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-91012 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-q6wq-m79c-29mj.