Arbitrary file read via instructions paths
Published Aug 18, 2026 · Updated Aug 20, 2026
Path traversal in Hmbown CodeWhale before 0.8.64 allows remote attackers to read local files via a malicious project config. The project-level .codewhale/config.toml instructions array was merged into session configuration, expanded with ~ and environment variables, and read with no workspace-boundary check before its contents were inserted into the AI system prompt. Exploitation requires a user to run CodeWhale in a cloned repository containing the malicious config; the resulting impact is disclosure of any file the local user can read through prompt exfiltration.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in Hmbown CodeWhale before 0.8.64 allows remote attackers to read local files via a malicious project config. The project-level .codewhale/config.toml instructions array was merged into session configuration, expanded with ~ and environment variables, and read with no workspace-boundary check before its contents were inserted into the AI system prompt. Exploitation requires a user to run CodeWhale in a cloned repository containing the malicious config; the resulting impact is disclosure of any file the local user can read through prompt exfiltration.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-75859
- Published
- Aug 18, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 20, 2026
- Vendor
- Shannon Labs
- Product
- CodeWhale
- Classifications
- CWE-22, T1005
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 20, 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=0.8.41 <0.8.64
- Affected versionversion=0.8.8 <0.8.41
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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