Restricted file access via Windows symlink race
Published Sep 7, 2026 · Updated Sep 10, 2026
Path-policy bypass in ImageMagick before 7.1.2-30 and before 6.9.13-55 allows local users to read or write restricted Windows files. Path policy enforcement validates a symlink target before file access, but the later operation is not bound to the validated target. Exploitation requires low local privileges, user interaction, and winning a high-complexity symlink swap race; impact is limited to policy-denied reads or writes.
Summary
What happened
Path-policy bypass in ImageMagick before 7.1.2-30 and before 6.9.13-55 allows local users to read or write restricted Windows files. Path policy enforcement validates a symlink target before file access, but the later operation is not bound to the validated target. Exploitation requires low local privileges, user interaction, and winning a high-complexity symlink swap race; impact is limited to policy-denied reads or writes.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-86422
- Published
- Sep 7, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 10, 2026
- Vendor
- ImageMagick Studio LLC
- Product
- ImageMagick
- Classifications
- CWE-59, T1005, T1565.001
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 7, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 10, 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 <6.9.13-55
- Affected versionversion=0 <7.1.2-30
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
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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