Arbitrary file write via cache symlink
Published Aug 16, 2026 · Updated Aug 17, 2026
Path traversal in OpenTofu before 1.10.10 and 1.11.0 through 1.11.6 allows attackers to write files via a malicious provider-cache symlink. During provider installation, tofu init treats a preexisting cache entry as a writable package directory and follows its symlink target instead of rejecting or replacing a mismatched link before extracting provider contents. Exploitation requires control of a trusted working directory, or of the directory named by TF_DATA_DIR, and an operator to run tofu init there; the result is arbitrary filesystem writes with the OpenTofu process's permissions.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in OpenTofu before 1.10.10 and 1.11.0 through 1.11.6 allows attackers to write files via a malicious provider-cache symlink. During provider installation, tofu init treats a preexisting cache entry as a writable package directory and follows its symlink target instead of rejecting or replacing a mismatched link before extracting provider contents. Exploitation requires control of a trusted working directory, or of the directory named by TF_DATA_DIR, and an operator to run tofu init there; the result is arbitrary filesystem writes with the OpenTofu process's permissions.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74796
- Published
- Aug 16, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 17, 2026
- Vendor
- OpenTofu
- Product
- OpenTofu
- Classifications
- CWE-59
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 16, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 17, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=0 <1.11.7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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