Path traversal in Hex via unvalidated dependency app names
What fixes it
- 2.5.2hexCVE List
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
- github.com/hexpm/hex/commit/380f87054e1bc08ee13d2b5311bc01f98dad2fc6Fixvia CVE List
- github.com/hexpm/hex/commit/1b3e2ae8f0dd7273a2c2625b9e50b6c67c8568fbFixvia CVE List
- github.com/hexpm/hex/commit/72279a8e2004b32b20d8767ff010c117193dd02cFixvia CVE List
- github.com/hexpm/hex/security/advisories/GHSA-2vjj-c5hr-6xc3Advisoryvia CVE List
- cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-96612.htmlReferencevia CVE List
- osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-96612Referencevia CVE List