Arbitrary JSON file write via topic traversal
Published Apr 28, 2026 · Updated Apr 28, 2026
Path traversal in Papers MCP Server allows remote attackers to read or overwrite JSON files outside the papers directory. The search_papers tool lowercases topic and replaces spaces, then passes surviving traversal sequences through os.path.join to create a directory and read or write papers_info.json. Exploitation requires permission to invoke the MCP tool and filesystem rights at the chosen destination; writes are limited to the papers_info.json filename.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in Papers MCP Server allows remote attackers to read or overwrite JSON files outside the papers directory. The search_papers tool lowercases topic and replaces spaces, then passes surviving traversal sequences through os.path.join to create a directory and read or write papers_info.json. Exploitation requires permission to invoke the MCP tool and filesystem rights at the chosen destination; writes are limited to the papers_info.json filename.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-7205
- Published
- Apr 28, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 28, 2026
- Vendor
- duartium
- Product
- Papers MCP Server
- Classifications
- CWE-22, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 28, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 28, 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=9ceb3812a6458ba7922ca24a7406f8807bc55598
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
- GitHub issue #1 traversal reproductionproof of concept · unverified
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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