CVE-2026-118485
Axel Download Accelerator Path Traversal via URL Filename Decoding
Axel Download Accelerator Axel
CVSS
7.0HighExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)No scoreNo FIRST EPSS score in this snapshot yet
Fixed inNone listedNo source names a fixed version. Check the vendor advisory below
What fixes it
No source in this snapshot names a fixed version. The vendor advisories under References are the place to check.
Description
Axel Download Accelerator 2.17.14 and earlier performs URL percent-decoding (http_decode()) on the output filename after the URL has been parsed and the filename component extracted. This allows an attacker to embed %2e%2e%2f (URL-encoded ../) sequences in the URL path. These sequences survive the URL parser intact (they contain no literal / characters) but are decoded into directory traversal sequences before the output file is opened for writing. As a result, a crafted URL can cause axel to write downloaded content to arbitrary filesystem paths relative to the current working directory.
Text from CVE List
Affected versions 1
- Axelaffected: all versions through 2.17.14CVE List
References 4
- github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/pull/483/changes/4e76e1a1dd1c4ea11b445e2c45e4ee257c76314eFixvia CVE List
- github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/milestone/22Advisoryvia CVE List
- advisories.orangecyberdefense.com/advisories/167Advisoryvia CVE List
- github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/issues/477Referencevia CVE List