Arbitrary file write via embedded filename traversal
Published Mar 19, 2026 · Updated Mar 19, 2026
Path traversal in PyMuPDF 1.26.5 through 1.26.6 allows local users to write arbitrary files via crafted embedded-file metadata. The embedded_get function in src/main.py uses an embedded file's stored filename directly as the output path and opens it in write-binary mode without confining it to the working directory. Exploitation requires invoking embed-extract on a crafted document without an explicit output path, and writes are limited to locations permitted by the executing account.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in PyMuPDF 1.26.5 through 1.26.6 allows local users to write arbitrary files via crafted embedded-file metadata. The embedded_get function in src/main.py uses an embedded file's stored filename directly as the output path and opens it in write-binary mode without confining it to the working directory. Exploitation requires invoking embed-extract on a crafted document without an explicit output path, and writes are limited to locations permitted by the executing account.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-3029
- Published
- Mar 19, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 19, 2026
- Vendor
- Artifex Software, Inc.
- Product
- PyMuPDF
- Classifications
- CWE-22, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 19, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 19, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1.26.5 <1.26.7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Upstream embedded_get traversal regression testproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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