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CVE-2026-96612GHSA-2vjj-c5hr-6xc3

Path traversal in Hex via unvalidated dependency app names

hexpm hex
CVSS
7.5High
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.40%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 33% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in2.5.2Fixed versionCVE List
Published12 Oct 2026Updated 16 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in hexpm hex allows a malicious package publisher to delete a directory outside the project's deps directory and extract package files into it when a developer fetches dependencies.

A package release's requirements carry an app label that names the dependency's OTP application. Hex takes this label from the repository's signed registry and uses it as the dependency's application name without validating it (Hex.RemoteConverger.deps/2, Hex.Mix.to_lock/1). Mix derives the dependency's checkout directory as deps/<app>, and Hex.SCM.update/1 runs File.rm_rf!/1 on that directory and unpacks the package into it. hex.pm only checks the label's length, so a publisher can set it to a value such as ../../target. When a project depends on such a release directly or transitively, mix deps.get or mix deps.update deletes the directory the label resolves to and writes the labelled package's files there. This happens before any dependency code is compiled.

This issue affects hex: from 0.6.0 before 2.5.2.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 2

  • hexaffected: 0.6.0 before 2.5.2CVE List
  • hexaffected: 380f87054e1bc08ee13d2b5311bc01f98dad2fc6 and laterCVE List

References 6