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

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

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 29 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 1 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-q6wq-m79c-29mj

## 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 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-91012?

It affects 1 product.


Products: 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.

## Is CVE-2026-91012 being exploited?

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

## Other vulnerabilities in Apache Karaf

- [CVE-2026-91048](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-91048/): Missing authorization in Apache Karaf (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-40145](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-40145/): Apache Karaf: JDBC JAAS LDAP injection (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-11788](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-11788/): XML External Entity Reference in Apache Karaf (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-92142](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-92142/): Apache Karaf: Authorization bypass in JMX MBean lifecycle operations (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-91006](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-91006/): Apache Karaf: OS Command Injection in Child-Instance Launch (instance:* / InstancesMBean) (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-91012 and fix it if it is affected.

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

Affected product: Apache Karaf. 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-2026-91012/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-91012/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-91012
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-91012
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-91012

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-91012/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.