CVE-2026-122136romkatv powerlevel10k link following
CVE-2026-122136 is a link following in romkatv powerlevel10k, rated medium (4.1 on CVSS 4.0).
Why this priority: Medium severity, with no exploitation signal.
Published · Updated · NVD status: Deferred
What it is
The software follows a symbolic link an attacker planted, so it reads or writes a file other than the one it checked.
How it is reached
An attacker can exploit it by someone who can already run code or sign in on the machine, with an ordinary user account, but someone has to act first, such as opening a file or following a link. Success also depends on conditions the attacker does not fully control.
What an attacker gains
A successful attack can change data or behaviour. In practice, this kind of flaw lets an attacker read or write files outside the folders the service meant to expose.
Is it being exploited?
There is no public report of exploitation yet. EPSS estimates a 0.12% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 2% of scored CVEs.
What to do
- Upgrade romkatv powerlevel10k to 1.20.19 or later.
- Limit who can run code or sign in on the hosts that run it.
- Warn the people who use it, and filter files and links on the way in.
Description from NVD
Powerlevel10k before 1.20.19 contains a symlink following vulnerability in _p9k_dump_instant_prompt that allows local attackers to overwrite victim-writable files via a predictable temporary path. Attackers can pre-plant symlinks at p10k-instant-prompt-output-<user>-<pid> in TMPDIR, guessing the victim's shell PID, so shell startup truncates and overwrites targeted files.
What this means for your architecture.
A CVE names a product. Whether it matters depends on where that product sits in your systems: what reaches it, which trust boundary it guards and what it can reach once compromised. Veriom maps your components, their relationships and your trust boundaries from your code, cloud and delivery evidence, so you can see where a component like this sits. The radar itself does not look at your systems.
Components it touches
- File storage the service can read or write. The flaw sits between the application and the file system it can reach.
Trust boundaries in play
- Host boundary. The attacker needs a foothold on the machine first; the flaw turns a small foothold into a bigger one.
- People who open files and links. Mail, chat and browsers are the delivery path.
- Between the application and the file system it can reach. An attacker who crosses it can read or write files outside the folders the service meant to expose.
Questions to answer about your own systems
- Where does romkatv powerlevel10k run in your systems, and at which version?
- Which of those hosts also run code or users you do not fully trust?
- What can it reach once compromised: which data stores, secrets and services?
Read more
Issue reports
Sources
- CVE records and CVSS scores from the NVD CVE API. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Exploitation status from CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
- Exploit likelihood from FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), refreshed daily.
- Explanations are written by Veriom from fixed templates over each record’s data, not by a person reviewing each CVE. Descriptions are quoted from the records as published.