Arbitrary file access via unsanitized FTP paths
Published Mar 13, 2026 · Updated Mar 13, 2026
Path traversal in PX4 Autopilot before 1.17.0-rc2 allows attackers to read, write, create, delete, and rename arbitrary files. MAVLink FTP constructs NuttX paths beneath an empty root without canonicalizing read requests, while POSIX write validation always returns true. Any peer with serial, USB, UDP, or TCP MAVLink access needs no authentication; access remains bounded by the flight-controller process's filesystem permissions.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in PX4 Autopilot before 1.17.0-rc2 allows attackers to read, write, create, delete, and rename arbitrary files. MAVLink FTP constructs NuttX paths beneath an empty root without canonicalizing read requests, while POSIX write validation always returns true. Any peer with serial, USB, UDP, or TCP MAVLink access needs no authentication; access remains bounded by the flight-controller process's filesystem permissions.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-32709
- Published
- Mar 13, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 13, 2026
- Vendor
- PX4
- Product
- PX4 Autopilot
- Classifications
- CWE-22, T1005, T1565.001
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 13, 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=< 1.17.0-rc2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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
- MAVLink FTP arbitrary file read and write proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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